On Sunday, El Salvador’s beloved archbishop Monseñor Óscar Arnulfo Romero will officially become a saint. Though right-wing death squads murdered him on March 24, 1980, his message lives on.
For generations of people in El Salvador and others around the world, he was already San Romero, but the significance of this decision by the Vatican – the recognition of his martyrdom for raising his voice against the ruthless Salvadoran oligarchy – cannot be overstated.
President Sánchez Céren, of the FMLN, flew to Rome on Thursday, where Pope Francis once again received him.
Upon receiving the news in May that Romero would become a saint, he said, “As president of the Republic, and in the name of the Salvadoran people and their government, I thank His Holiness for this demonstration of love for the life and work of our martyr, for making real the dream of an entire nation to see him become a saint.»
But it wasn’t only Pope Francis who made this happen. It took years of visionary struggle by human rights defenders and people of faith who put the principles of liberation theology into action.
This weekend, we give thanks to all those who have continued to lift up the words, the memory, and the example of Romero and who have brought his legacy to new generations.
A very special group of young people are in Rome this week, too – the children of Salvadoran immigrants with Temporary Protected Status (TPS), whom the Trump administration planned to deport until a judge in San Franciso ordered an injunction earlier this month.
Accompanied by immigrant community leaders (their parents couldn’t go with them), including CISPES’ former director, Angela Zambrano, they shared their stories with Pope Francis himself.
CISPES staff has had the privilege of accompanying some of these young people as they’ve brought their stories to Congress and called on our elected officials to take immediate action to keep their families together.
Our thanks and congratulations to the National TPS Alliance, of which we are proud to be a part, for bringing these young people to Rome to be part of history.
There has never been any doubt that Romero has lived on in the Salvadoran people.
This weekend is a beautiful, powerful reminder that seeds planted many years ago can continue to bear fruit through our collective love and commitment to one another.
¡San Romero de las Américas, presente!
Yours in the struggle for peace with justice.
-All of us at CISPES
P.S. As the world grapples with resurgent tendencies towards fascism, and Central America and many other regions face crises of forced migration, due in large part to decades of U.S. policy and corporate exploitation, may Romero’s beatification serve as a call to past and present solidarity activists that la lucha sigue (the struggle continues) and so must our solidarity.
Sunday is a Very Special Day. Romero Becomes a Saint!
