Archbishop Oscar Romero: his home, assassination site, and tomb

The story of the Catholic Archbishop Oscar Romero is a good starting point to understanding the recent turbulent history of the country.  In 1977 El Salvador was controlled by just 14 wealthy families while the peasants for the most part labored on their coffee and banana plantations.  Protests were increasing; priests in the heavily Catholic nation were preaching justice for the poor and oppressed, but the church hierarchy remained cozy with the government.  "Progressive" priests were beaten, arrested, and sometimes killed.

Romero was a conservative priest working in the church administration and studying theology when elevated to archbishop.  Liberation theology minded priests were disappointed at the choice.  As killings by the government increased (including that of father Grande, a friend of his) Romero began to preach against the violence. He wrote to US President Carter urging him not to send military aid to the Salvadoran government.  Eventually he instructed men in the military to obey God and stop killing innocent people.  The next day he was shot and killed while serving mass to nuns.  Today Romero is a national hero to people of El Salvador.

 

A statue of Oscar Romero in San Salvador

His modest home.  He had the avocado tree in front cut down because the thump of the falling fruit on the roof made him think he was under attack.  The tree since regrew.  The home is now a museum to his memory

 The church where he was killed serving mass to nuns

Romero was killed immediately after delivering the homily as he faced away from the people.  The flowers to the right of the alter table mark the spot.

The shirt Romero was wearing, showing the bullet holes.

As it happened there was a photographer present at the mass; the pictures of the murdered Romero are gruesome but those of the nuns around his body and others praying are heart wrenching.


His funeral was at the cathedral; Cathedral square outside packed with people to honor him.   And then shooting began into the crowd.  See the video link below.

The Cathedral

                                 Cathedral Square, site of the funeral massacre

His crypt in the basement of the cathedral.

For more information check out the following or other sites:
http://oscarromero.weebly.com/his-funeral.html
http://liberationtheology.org/people-organizations/archbishop-oscar-romero/

A video taken at his funeral as the army shoots at the crowd.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLvkXj1zGpU

For an accurate telling rent the movie "Romero" from Amazon.