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Saint Romero of America: Óscar Arnulfo Romero is the first saint of El Salvador

Saint Romero

Archbishop Óscar Arnulfo Romero was killed on the 24th March 1980 by a bullet fired into his heart. Pope Francis canonised him on the 14th of  October of this year making him the first saint of El Salvador.

The canonisation ceremony of Saint Romero of America was celebrated on Sunday morning, the 14th October in the presence of faithful from the whole world but especially Central America.  

Archbishop Romero was born in 1917 and died on the 24th of March 1980 as a result of a mortal gunshot wound inflicted by a sniper while he was celebrating Mass in the chapel of the Divine Providence Hospital in Salvador. He was beatified in May of 2015.

The military government of El Salvador considered Romero to be an enemy of the people because he spoke openly in his homilies about the violence and the abuses committed by the Army and the National Guard of his country.

At the same time, Romero opposed the guerrillas that kidnapped and assassinated both soldiers and police officers. Romero wanted to be no ones enemy yet openly stated that those who were against the people were also against him.

According to many, it was his last homily, delivered before the day of his assassination, that sealed his fate. In his sermon, he asked soldiers to ignore the orders of their commanding officers when instructed to fire into the crowd. His homily was a response to a letter written to him by soldiers asking him to stop the army killing demonstrators. They explained that many of them had relatives and friends among the demonstrators.   

 

Two years before his death, in 1978,  Archbishop Romero met Pope Paul VI. Coincidently both archbishop Romero and Pope Paul VI were raised to the altars on the same day- October 14th.  With them, seven new saints were canonised last week by Pope Francis.

Source: CNN Espanol

Photo: La Noticia

 

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