El Salvador's bishops urged citizens to show faith, hard work and solidarity — not the violence on display during one of the most contentious political campaigns in the country's recent history.
A former military commander accused of killing six Jesuits and two women working with the Society of Jesus during El Salvador's civil war went on trial June 8 in Spain, offering hopes of justice for crimes that have wallowed in impunity for more than three decades.
The saintly designation tends to obscure the saint's ordinary flesh-and-blood reality. It is a tendency to resist at all costs when commemorating the 40th anniversary of the assassination of St. Óscar Romero.
The Vatican announced Feb. 22 that Pope Francis has recognized the martyrdom of a fellow Jesuit, Salvadoran Fr. Rutilio Grande, and two companions who were murdered en route to a novena in 1977 in El Salvador.
Around the world, communities of their Jesuit brothers, but also laity involved in social justice circles and even Pope Francis, made sure their names and what they stood for was not forgotten.
At an annual celebration for Archbishop Óscar Romero, Fr. Estefan Turcios Carpaño said we must continue Romero's legacy of engaging with lived reality and speaking out against injustice and violence.
The University of Dayton, a Catholic school in Ohio, plans to present its Romero Human Rights Award April 11 to three individuals who have worked to investigate those responsible for the El Mozote Massacre.
