Saint Oscar Romero

Protestants don't canonize individuals (make them into saints) the way the Roman Catholic church does. We are more than willing to uphold the contributions of exemplary persons but we believe that all of us are "saints" in terms of being called as faithful witnesses to Christ.

That said, if we were going to adopt a saint the murdered, and some might say martyred, archbishop Oscar Romero would be a prime candidate. The Roman Catholic church is moving toward the canonization of this important cleric. Romero rose through the ranks of the church in his homeland of El Salvador during the 1960"s and 70's. He was rewarded for being theologically and socially conservative in a time when many priests in Latin America were becoming radical on behalf of the poor and dispossessed.  Romero went through a conversion of sorts, becoming increasingly outspoken for those who were voiceless.

In 1980 he was assassinated in dramatic fashion as he was celebrating the mass. Romero was warned that his outspokenness could lead to an untimely end but he was not deterred."As a Christian," he once remarked, "I do not believe in death without resurrection. If they kill me, I shall rise again in the Salvadoran people."

Did you see the movie Romero, released nearly 25 years ago now? Was his death a form of martyrdom? What about sainthood?