SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador — Near the end of his homily at a Mass
just prior to St. Oscar Romero's canonization, Jesuit Father Jose Maria Tojeira
yelled to the crowd outside the Metropolitan Cathedral: "Viva Monsenor
Romero!" (Long live Bishop Romero!)
The overflow crowd yelled back, "Que Viva!" (Long
live!)
"We're not venerating a body," Father Tojeira said,
"rather someone who is alive, together with God and in the hearts of all
Christians that want to continue with the reality of the Gospel."
During the Oct. 14 canonization at the Vatican — very early
morning in El Salvador — Salvadorans gathered in the square outside the
cathedral to watch the ceremony on big screens; others watched in their
parishes.
St. Romero was shot dead while celebrating Mass March 24, 1980.
His legacy of showing a preference for the poor and promoting peace lives on in
his native El Salvador, where, even in death, he plays an outsized role in the
country's public life and occupies a special place in its collective
consciousness — for devotees and detractors alike.
He becomes El Salvador's first saint. But his current role in the
country transcends religion. He also has
assumed the status of national hero, whose words — spoken in homilies —
sound prophetic and seem apt almost four decades after his death.
"He still is the most venerated and respected leader of the
last 100 years, certainly the last 50 years," said Rick Jones, youth and
migration adviser for Catholic Relief Services in El Salvador.
"He's still the sign post of what people are looking for in
terms of some voice that talks about reconciliation, justice and hope for
nonviolent transformation."
St. Romero's slaying came as the country was on the cusp of civil
war, which roared through the 1980s. His canonization comes as the country
convulses with violence, much of it attributed to gangs preying on populations
living in barrios under their control.
As archbishop of San Salvador, the national capital, he
accompanied the poor at a time when some two-thirds of the population lived in
poverty. He also voiced people's demands for better wages and criticisms of the
"oligarchy" — as the elites were caustically called — at a time
when his critics considered such talk "communist." He also called for
a suspension of U.S. military assistance.
The poverty and inequality Archbishop Romero spoke out against
are still rife in 2018. Many Salvadorans still flee the country to escape the
violence and indignities, causing his words to resonate with younger
generations and even some evangelicals and atheists.
"What he said is still valid. His words still carry enormous
weight," said Douglas Martinez, a vendor in San Salvador. "He was
practically a prophet on this earth."
Canonization was never certain for St. Romero, though some in the
country have long considered him a saint.
"For me and for many people in the country — a good number
of people with a social commitment — Bishop Romero has been a saint since his
martyrdom, and now it's going to be the formal act," said Gabina Dubon,
coordinator of the transformational social ministry in Caritas El Salvador.
"In that time there was no freedom of expression. He became
a voice for those without a voice, a defender of life, dignity, solidarity and
the common good."
St. Romero served only three years as archbishop of San Salvador,
yet he left a legacy via his homilies, which were broadcast across the country.
Participants in a procession to the cathedral carried signs with
quotes culled from those homilies. "There's no more diabolical sin than
taking bread from the hungry," read one sign. "It's necessary to call
injustice by its name," read another.
The celebrations carried political overtones for some. A U.N.
truth commission named Roberto d'Aubuisson, an ex-army officer and founder of
the conservative ARENA alliance, as the intellectual author of the murder. He
died of cancer in 1992.
Father Neftali Ruiz carried a banner castigating ARENA, but
saying of Archbishop Romero, "The people made him a saint."
Father Ruiz stood outside the same cathedral where tens of
thousands of Salvadorans mourned St. Romero at his funeral. Snipers opened fire
on the funeral, killing at least 40 people.
Only one Salvadoran bishop attended the funeral: Archbishop
Arturo Rivera Damas, who was named St. Romero's successor in San Salvador.
"He always defended Romero," Father Tojeira said of
Archbishop Rivera, "but speaking in confidence ... he would say, 'A bishop
like Romero arrives every 500 years.’”
The St. Romero canonization showed how time had changed in the
country and church though, in an interview, Father Tojeira quipped of St.
Romero's critics, "They used to say 'communist.' They now have a little
more civilized discourse but continue being similar."
Celebrations of the canonization occurred in dioceses across El
Salvador — even in San Vicente, where priests would bless army helicopters
during the civil war. Father Ruiz recalled being expelled from the minor
seminary there in 2000 for refusing to stop displaying an image of St. Romero.
Today, images of St. Romero grace everything from postage stamps
to murals to the walls of the presidential palace to political ads, as the
ruling party attempts to capitalize on his popularity and incorruptible
reputation.
That politicians try to appropriate St. Romero's image bothers
some devotees as crime, corruption and poverty persist at alarmingly high
levels. St. Romero also criticized both sides of the political spectrum.
"(Politicians) don't practice what he preached," said
Elsy Cornejo, who was selling CDs of St. Romero's homilies. "He spoke of
peace and accompanying the poor."
With the murder rate in El Salvador ranking among the highest in
the world and gangs preying on poor barrio dwellers with crimes such as
extortion and the forced recruitment of teenagers, Cornejo added, "We're
also practicing very little of what he preached."
Church observers expressed hope St. Romero's canonization could
bring unity to a country with polarized politics and offer a possibility of
improvement.
"He presents a figure for reconciliation," Jones said,
"and a different way to move forward other than ... just the left or the
right."