San Óscar Romero: Biography of the martyr who died celebrating the Eucharist

This March 24 are 45 years old from the murder of San Oscar Arnulfo Romero, the Archbishop of San Salvador who gave his life defending the oppressed. Dejected by a sniper while celebrating Mass in 1980, Romero became a symbol of the struggle for social justice in El Salvador and Latin America.

Born in a humble family in 1917, Romero ascended from its modest roots to becoming the most influential voice of the Salvadoran Church. His strong defense of human rights in the midst of a bloody civil war faced him to the government and the powerful, winning the nickname of “the voice of the voiceless.”

Today, thousands of faithful from all over Central America honor him as “San Romero de América”, whose legacy of courage and commitment to the poor continues to inspire new generations, 45 years after his martyrdom.

Humble origins

Monsignor Romero was born in Ciudad Barrios, in eastern El Salvador, on August 15, 1917, the day of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

He grew up into a humble family and since childhood he was known for his love for simple things and communications.

On one occasion, being still a child, he attended a priestly ordination that left him impacted and raised in him a deep desire to be a priest. That desire would come true years later, after studying between 1931 and 1937 at the Minor Seminary of San Miguel de los Padres Claretianos and in the San José de la Montaña Seminary with the Jesuits.

In 1939, when World War II broke out, he was sent to Rome to complete his theological training at the Pontifical Gregorian University. He was ordained a priest on April 4, 1942 and in August 1943 he returned to El Salvador, where he was appointed pastor in Anamorós, in the east of the country.

The Archbishopric of San Salvador says that Oscar Arnulfo was a charitable and delivered priest, who did not accept gifts that he did not need.

He was elected secretary of the Episcopal Conference of El Salvador and then in the Episcopal Secretariat of Central America. On April 25, 1970 he was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of San Salvador.

In this headquarters he began to approach the difficult political situation of the country, where the army ruled. He was appointed Archbishop of San Salvador by Pope St. Paul VI on February 8, 1977. From that moment he began his defense of Human Rights in the middle of a nascent civil war between the leftist guerrillas and the government of the extreme right.

The persecutions, which included expulsions and murders of priests and laity, led him to openly face the dictatorship, which he was responsible for deaths. With his actions he obtained an important prestige at the international level.

In his homilies in the cathedral and in his frequent visits to the populations, Mons. Romero did not tire of denouncing and condemning the violent attacks against the Church and the Salvadorans.

This caused him to be the target of a tough campaign against him by the powerful sectors of the country, the government’s political-military organizations. In the newspapers he received slander, insults and threats of all kinds. Several of his priests were killed during that time.

Even bishops and priests sought to stain their name, slandering him before the authorities of Rome. Despite this, Mons. Romero received the support of Pope Paul VI.

Subsequently, Pope San Juan Paul II supported his position and encouraged him to continue along the path of justice and the pacification of El Salvador.

On March 24, 1980 he was killed by a sniper against the altar where Mass celebrated.

On February 3, 2015, Pope Francis recognized his martyrdom and was beatified on May 25 of that same year by Cardinal Angelo Amato, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints, in San Salvador.

He was canonized on October 14, 2018 by Pope Francis along with six other blessed, including Pope St. Paul VI.