Prophetic Bishop Speaks to his People

This volume is the first in an ambitious initiative by the Romero Trust and Convivium Press to provide English translations of a series of books about the martyred Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero. Romero has been attracting a growing interest worldwide because of his prophetic words and his option for the poor, which he faithfully lived out until his assassination at the altar. With an integrity and authenticity rare in the contemporary church, Romero managed to find an extraordinary synthesis between orthodoxy and the way it is practiced, and he exhibited a beautiful blend of deep prayerful spirituality and effective action for justice. Because of these achievements, he has become an increasingly attractive ecclesiastical figure for the twenty first century and a genuine icon for our skeptical times. The United Nations has recognised him, and the Anglican Communion has virtually canonized him by including him with a special collect prayer in its annual liturgical calendar. From the time Romero was named archbishop of San Salvador on 22 February 1977 until he was murdered at the altar on March 24, 1980, he delivered 193 homilies that were broadcast to the nation by radio. These homilies were later transcribed and published in six volumes in El Salvador. The homilies are the impassioned voice of a prophetic pastor addressing his people and his nation at a time of unprecedented crisis and violence. Romero unrelentingly condemns the repression of the people at the hands of the powerful and resolutely commits the Church to the difficult and dangerous struggle for justice and human rights. The homilies offer an unsparing indictment of the harsh political reality of El Salvador but never cease to summon Salvadorans to respond courageously to the Gospel precepts of peace, love, and social equality. Presented in a style suitable for both specialists and the general readership, the present volume is an English translation of the first 46 homilies, delivered between 14 March and 25 November 1977, corresponding to the first volume of the original Spanish edition. Besides the regular Sunday homilies, this volume includes others given at the funeral masses of Fr. Rutilio Grande, Fr. Alfonso Navarro, and Foreign Minister Mauricio Borgonovo, all victims of death squads. Editor and Translator, Joseph V. Owens, is a Jesuit who has spent most of his active career working in the Caribbean and Central America. His various ministries have included grass-roots organising, pastoral work, radio apostolate, and teaching.