Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero

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Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero

10/23/2018 01:23:26 PM

Oct23

Photo by Leif Skoogfors

I have a number of pictures in my office - a painting of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, a diagram of the kabbalistic Tree of Life and photos of my kids.

Right above my desk, though, is a small medallion with a picture of Oscar Arnulfo Romero, the Salvadoran Archbishop who was murdered by an right-wing hit squad in 1980 while saying Mass. Romero was recently declared a saint by the Pope, despite years of opposition from right-wing forces inside and outside the Catholic Church. The poor of Central America, however, canonized "San Romero" almost immediately.

Romero was murdered in the midst of the lengthy and brutal Salvadoran civil war, which claimed tens of thousands of lives. In his role as archbishop, Romero spoke out forcefully against the government forces, paid for and trained by the US government. He spoke out on behalf of those who advocated for a more just distribution of wealth, and whom the government was gunning down. He, like Rev. Martin Luther King and Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, understood that there can be no worship of God, no focus on one's own spiritual life, without addressing the suffering of God's children.

I came to know of Romero's life and work through my frequent visits to El Salvador with American Jewish World Service, and find him to be a constant inspiration. During the Shabbat Amidah, we give praise to Moses for being an eved ne'eman - a faithful servant as we aspire to such a level ourselves. Romero was a faithful servant, and though I do not share his religious heritage, I remain inspired and challenged by his faithful religious dedication.

You can read more about his canonization here.

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