Martyrs - Archbishop Oscar Romero (1917 - 1980) Flashcards
Who was Oscar Romero?
compassion for poor (however originally unsympathetic), worked in diocese of San Miguel 25yrs, ordained Bishop 1970
What was the situation in El Salvador?
electoral fraud blocking change
peaceful protests met with massacres and death squad killings
killings, torture and disappearances of community leaders
How did he respond to the situation in El Salvador?
became voice of poor
spoke truth about what was happening in countryside - denounced what was happening to community leaders + demanded justice
set up legal aid projects and pastoral programmes - support victims
rejected violence + promoted peaceful solutions
Quote from Oscar Romero?
‘We know that every effort to better society, especially when injustice and sin are so ingrained is an effort that God blesses, that God wants, that God demands of us.’
How can Oscar Romero’s quote be linked to eschatology?
inaugurated eschatology - the Kingdom of God is both ‘already’ and ‘not yet’ here - God’s will for us to better society is present on earth, yet we may not always follow it
