Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Remembering Óscar Romero

His Grace Archbishop Óscar Romero has held a very special place in my heart since his assassination 30 years ago today. The fourth archbishop of San Salvador, he was shot and killed as he said Mass in a small chapel at a hospital called La Divina Providencia, in the Salvadoran capital. Days later, massive crowds attended Romero’s funeral, which also resulted in tragedy as snipers shot at the gathered mourners, killing at least 20 people. El Salvador then plunged into a civil war that did not end until 1992, after tens of thousands of deaths. Romero has been honored as one of the 20th century’s Christian martyrs with a statue on the Great West Wing of Westminster Abbey. Romero is honored with St. Maximilian Kolbe, Manche Masemola, Janani Luwum, Grand Duchess St. Elizabeth of Russia, Martin Luther King, Jr., Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Easter John, Lucian Tapiedi, and Wang Zhiming.

Requiescat in pace, padre. Ora pro nobis.

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