Courtney McGrailFr Patrick Hudson OFM, who worked in El Salvador, describes his impression of Oscar Romero
Fr Patrick Hudson OFM
I met Oscar Romero in El Salvador in December 1968. I was a recently ordained priest – in March 1968 – he was the Vicar General of the Diocese of San Miguel and parish priest of Santo Domingo, in the centre of the city of San Miguel. The bishop was Msgr Graziano, a North American Franciscan, who invited the Irish Franciscans to work for him.
Msgr Romero was responsible for the discipline of the clergy in the diocese – a very tough task even though there were very few priests in the diocese: something like nine native priests, four North American diocesan priests from Cleveland, one American Benedictine, a Franciscan from the province of the bishop, an American-born priest of the diocese and an American Franciscan bishop.
Three of us Irish Franciscans – Vincent Gallogley, Alfred Loughran and myself – arrived in December and another, Brendan Forde, arrived in January 1969. A French diocesan priest arrived shortly after and he was followed by two Capuchin Friars from New York, USA.
Lodgings
Msgr Romero, as parish priest in Santo Domingo, had to receive and provide board and lodgings to the priests when they came into the city from their parishes in the hills outside San Miguel. Few availed of his hospitality as he was a strict disciplinarian and ran a tight house, which was not what a very undisciplined clergy wanted.
Msgr Romero was a Roman-trained cleric. He always wore his soutane, said his daily Mass, read the breviary and was an exemplary parish priest who carried out his duties to the parishioners. Though he was very reserved, extremely shy, some would say aloof, he was well liked by his people as he could be relied on the do what was expected of him.
He was a friend to the better educated parishioners and worked with the ‘Cursillista’ movement which required weekly meetings with the men and their instruction in the Faith.
Some thought he was cold because of his strictness and reserve, which made him a little distant from the people.
The local clergy did not like him and made it quite obvious. He was a friend of the authorities in the district – politicians, police and military – and the professional and business people in the area, as he was always available to them and could be a good ‘house guest’ at family or business gatherings.
The 100 hours war between El Salvador and Honduras broke out in August 1969. The bishop, Msgr Graziano, offended the bishops of Honduras by accompanying the troops of El Salvador and using the cathedrals in Honduras for victory Masses. He was removed from office and the clergy of San Miguel were asked by the papal nuncio to name three priests to replace him.
The nuncio named Msgr Romero as his first choice. The clergy, all priests including the Irish, rejected Romero and asked for Fr Rutilio Grande SJ, who was the rector of the major seminary in San Salvador.
The nuncio rejected him and in October 1969, the Provincial of the Vincentians, Alvarez, was appointed bishop. Romero was then appointed secretary to the Episcopal Conference and left San Miguel. He was later appointed Archbishop of San Salvador.
It was no surprise that he was made bishop – he was always ‘episcopable’ or bishop material. He fitted in well with the rich, powerful, political, military and ‘cursillista’ people of San Salvador.
He, a strict Roman cleric, had difficulties with the rector of the major seminary, Rutilio Grande over discipline and formation of the seminarians.
The problem came to a head and Grande was removed. He was appointed parish priest of Aguilares, a large parish not very far from San Salvador.
Grande was a dynamic parish priest. He organised the catechists in his parish and formed ‘comunidades de base’, small active Christian groups, active in catechetics and social organisation in search of justice and respect for all citizens.
He was regarded as an enemy of the ‘14 families’ – the powerful landowners – the politicians who were mainly drawn from these or their close collaborators – and the various branches of the security forces – Guardia Civil, Hacienda, police and army – who were servants at the beck and call of these powerful people.
Fr Grande and two catechists were killed as they were leaving the town of Aguilares, and Romero went to collect the bodies of the priest and catechists. He said that when he there he saw the “suffering face of Jesus in the faces of the women and old men” he met in Aguilares that day. The men – from seven years of age up – had fled because they knew the special police/army had come to liquidate them.
Romero, reputed to be cold and distant, spoke to the people, tried to console them and allowed children to sit on his lap, play with his pectoral cross, to hold him by the fingers as they walked along. His ‘conversion’ had occurred. He was now a man of the people. He set up Solidarity in order to gather information of atrocities and to help console the victims.
His sermons changed. He read the official readings at his public Masses and gave a summary of the terrible events of the civil war, the massacres and movements of people and asked how those who believed the official reading, as Christians, could accept the events happening all around.
He was, unwittingly, practising liberation theology. He became an enemy of his previously good friends in society and also an enemy of the other, more conservative, bishops of El Salvador.
He offended many when he asked the US Government not to send any more arms to El Salvador and went too far when, shortly after the massacre of Sumpul, he told the soldiers not to shoot their own mothers and sisters, that they should not obey orders to do so.
They shot him on a Monday as he raised the chalice at the offertory of the Mass he had begun at the convent of nuns.
His assassination was a shock in that no one thought the army would go so far, but it was expected by many as the army and police had never shown any hesitation in killing priests, nuns and catechists before.
He is revered by many throughout Latin America, not only in El Salvador. He showed that there are people who are willing to face death, just like Jesus, in order to serve the Lord in people.
He has been venerated as a saint by his people since the day of his death and so they will be very pleased with his beatification.