Monsignor Arnulfo Romero was the first Salvadoran and Central American to be declared a saint by the Catholic Church; he was also the first Catholic to be consecrated a martyr after the Second Vatican Council; he is honored not only by Catholics, but also by Anglicans, Lutherans and even those who are not believers.
The British Parliament named Monsignor Arnulfo Romero for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979, however, this year’s prize went to Mother Teresa of Calcutta, a priest canonized in 2018 by Pope Francis.
- “It is not God’s will that some have everything and others have nothing.
- Is it God’s will that all your children be happy?.
- ?Arnulfo Romero-.
Monsignor Arnulfo Romero was a living legend and the others after his death, stood out for his kindness and bravery, strongly defended human rights and denounced those who did not know them, appointing them directly from the pulpit. His assassination, during a Sunday Service, is considered one of the triggers of the bloodiest phase of the civil war in El Salvador.
Monsignor Arnulfo Romero was born in Ciudad Barrios, San Miguel Department, El Salvador, on August 15, 1917. He came from a very humble family; his father was a telegraphist and his mother was a domestic worker. His childhood friends claim that his religious devotion began when he was very young; always started the day entering the chapel to pray for his family.
When he finished primary school he became a carpenter and musician, at the age of 13 he spoke to a priest and expressed interest in entering the seminary, the lack of resources of his family was an obstacle, but thanks to the cooperation of the Claretina Community, he quickly managed to realize his dream.
Although he had great difficulties in continuing the seminary due to the poverty of his family, he distinguished himself by his commitment and intelligence, so he was chosen to travel to Rome and continue his studies there, in Italy he had as a teacher whom he later became Pope Paul VI.
There is a little-known episode in the life of Bishop Arnulfo Romero that occurred on the journey back to his native country, which left Spain on a ship called Marked Quotes, was 1943 and Europe was in the middle of World War II.
When the ship made a stopover in Cuba, the priest was arrested and taken to a “concentration camp”. People didn’t believe him, because he came from Mussolini’s Italy and Franco’s Spain. He remained in captivity for 127 days, until the inhabitants became convinced. who was not a spy for the German Axis.
In 1944, he finally returned to El Salvador, after a stay in Mexico, and already in his native country, he fervently worked for the most vulnerable and embarked on a successful ecclesiastical career that led him to become Archbishop of San Salvador on February 3, 1977. At that time, his country was already in great domestic political tension.
Many believe that Bishop Arnulfo Romero was a conservative religious, but he is also a truly committed Catholic, who is not allowed to be silent in the face of the injustices that are committed in his country, so he turned his pulpit into a forum in which he denounced human rights violations.
During this period, many clerics were killed in El Salvador, and almost always for the same reason: to support the poorest, the killings went unpunished, but Romero, from his church, repeatedly denounced what was happening. Pope Paul VI to denounce the situation and received the support of the Supreme Pontiff.
However, he then turned to the new Pope, John Paul II, who refused to listen to him. At the Vatican, the rumor was that Romero was a revolutionary priest, so his presence was not welcome, even the Pope has questioned his accusations.
After this episode, Monsignor Romero returned to El Salvador completely discouraged. On March 24, 1980, while uttering Mass in his parish, several gunmen shot him dead.
The fact shocked the country and is believed to be the start of a civil war that has left more than 75,000 dead and nearly 7,000 missing. Today, Monsignor Arnulfo Romero is one of the great legends of Latin America.