Óscar Romero

Who was Óscar Romero?

Óscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdámez was a bishop of the Catholic Church in El Salvador. He became the fourth Archbishop of San Salvador, succeeding Luis Chávez, and spoke out against poverty, social injustice, assassinations and torture. Romero was assassinated while offering Mass in 1980.

In 1997, Pope John Paul II bestowed upon him the title of Servant of God, and a cause for beatification and canonization was opened for the assassinated bishop. As the canonization process continues, some consider Romero an unofficial patron saint of the Americas and/or El Salvador; Catholics in El Salvador often refer to him as "San Romero". Even outside of Catholicism, Romero is honored by other Christian denominations, including the Church of England and Anglican Communion through the Calendar in Common Worship, as well as in at least one Lutheran liturgical calendar. Archbishop Romero is one of the ten 20th-century martyrs depicted in statues above the Great West Door of Westminster Abbey in London, a testament to the widespread respect of Christians throughout the world. In 2008, Europe-based magazine A Different View included Romero among its 15 Champions of World Democracy.