Óscar Romero

Óscar Romero was the Salvadoran Catholic archbishop of San Salvador from 1977 until his assassination in 1980. His public denunciations of state violence and defense of the poor made him a major voice during El Salvador’s civil conflict.

Rutilio Grande: A Salvadoran Jesuit priest and social activist assassinated in 1977. Grande’s murder helped prompt Romero to confront political violence more openly.
Homilies of Óscar Romero: Weekly sermons Romero delivered as archbishop of San Salvador, often broadcast nationwide. His homilies named abuses and appealed directly to soldiers and officials.
Rutilio Grande assassination: The 1977 killing of Salvadoran Jesuit priest Rutilio Grande and two companions. The killings deeply affected Romero and marked a turning point in his public stance.
Assassination of Óscar Romero: The 1980 killing of Archbishop Óscar Romero while he celebrated Mass in San Salvador. His murder made the dangers facing critics of political violence unmistakable.
El Salvador: A Central American country whose civil war lasted from 1979 to 1992. Romero’s ministry unfolded amid the country’s escalating conflict.
YSPAX: The radio station of the Archdiocese of San Salvador. YSPAX broadcast Romero’s homilies and reports of violence across the country.
Salvadoran peasant massacres: Mass killings of civilians by Salvadoran security forces and allied groups during the conflict. Reports of killings among rural communities shaped Romero’s warnings about state violence.
Beatification of Óscar Romero: The Catholic Church’s 2015 recognition of Romero as a blessed martyr. Beatification formally recognized his death as martyrdom in the context of hatred of the faith.
Pope Paul VI: Head of the Catholic Church from 1963 to 1978. Paul VI appointed Romero archbishop of San Salvador in 1977.
Liberation theology: A Christian theological movement emphasizing liberation from poverty and oppression. Romero’s concern for the poor resonated with themes central to liberation theology.

Linked from 12 pages