45 Years Later, Oscar is still Speaking

Yellow and white paper flags lined the little street that leads uphill to the chapel at Divina Providencia. Each flag featured a hand-colored, cut out figure of Monseñor Oscar Romero. I chuckled to myself, thinking of of the Flat Martins we have colored with children for Reformation Day, and of course, Flat Stanley from the beloved children's book. I think Saint Romero might also chuckle at the idea of children coloring Flat Oscars and taking him on adventures with them, or pasting him onto a fluttery flag next to the noni trees at Divina Providencia.

Flat Martin Luther hanging out in my office

Yellow and white paper chains decorated the chapel fence. The doorway was arched with white and yellow flowers. We peered inside: not too many people yet. The altar was beautifully surrounded by hundreds of yellow and white roses. This is the altar where 45 years ago today, Oscar Romero stood saying mass and where he fell - murdered by an assassin's bullet.

Many years and many masses of remembrance have passed. Over the years, each preacher, each speaker has shared insights emerging from Oscar Romero's words and actions which have something to tell those gathered in Romero's memory  about standing for justice and against oppression in their current context.

45 years after Romero's death, inside the ecumenical faith community, the preachings, public addresses, life stories and faith of Oscar Romero are well known. Outside of the faith community, in the first and second generations beyond the war years, even here in El Salvador, Monseñor Romero might be recognized as a name painted on a street curb or a community sign, or posted in small blue letters on the roof of El Salvador's International airport. Maybe, for this reason, this year's promotional material for the events at Divina Providencia and the subsequent march in the streets focused much more heavily on the urgent call: ¡Sí a la Vida! ¡No a la Minería! (Yes to Life! No to Mining!).

Mass was led by Monseñor Oswaldo Escobar, the Bishop of the diocese of Chalatenango. Leaders from different protestant denominations and international churches processed into the chapel. A female Episcopal priest from Canada joined the Catholic leader team behind the altar. That struck me as especially welcoming. Representatives from the faith-based anti-mining activist groups periodically (and appropriately) called out, "¡Sí a la vida!" and the overflow crowd responded, "¡No a la minería!" The chapel was filled with singing - almost everyone in this crowd knew the songs from the Salvadoran Popular Mass.

In place of the first scripture reading, the congregation listened to a recording of Archbishop Oscar Romero's final sermon, given on Sunday, March 23, 1980: "I would like to make a special appeal to the men of the army, and specifically to the ranks of the National Guard, the police and the military. Brothers, you come from our own people. You are killing your own brother peasants when any human order to kill must be subordinate to the law of God which says, 'Thou shalt not kill.'" He went on, "In the name of God, in the name of this suffering people whose cries rise to heaven more loudly each day, I implore you, I beg you, I order you in the name of God: Stop the repression." 

The Gospel was taken from Luke 4, in which Jesus goes into the synagogue and reads the passage from Isaiah: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor...freedom for the prisoners...to set the oppressed free".

The readings were followed by one of the most enjoyable homilies I have heard at this (or similar) events. Bishop Oswaldo Escobar began with a few stories of Oscar as a boy who grew up in simple conditions. He shared a bed with his brothers and after they got up, Oscar would grab the covers, roll himself up and sleep in. He was a good student, but he did not like math. He liked nature and enjoyed visiting the mountains of Chalatenango. 

It made sense that Bishop Escobar would lead today's mass. The natural resources of Chalatenango, especially water resources, suffered irreparable damage due to metallic mining (particularly gold mining) in the past. Toxic contamination released into the water and soil has had devastating impacts on plants, animals and humans in the northern regions of El Salvador. In 2017, activists were finally successful in convincing the Salvadoran legislature to pass a law prohibiting industrial mining. On Christmas Eve, 2024, President Bukele orchestrated the passing of a new law which overturned the ban and opened up El Salvador's northern corridor once again to gold mining. This time, the mining will be done by the government via contracts with mining companies. If activists are not successful in convincing the Salvadoran government to reverse course, this time, as in the past, those most impacted will be everyday people. Their land will be poisoned. Their water will be poisoned. 

The San Sebastián River, red in color due to toxins released in previous gold mining exploits.
(Photo credit: The Guardian, 3 February 2024)

While Oscar Romero did not specifically speak to environmental issues, his messages were consistent and rooted in the Gospel: care for the poor and fight against oppression. Romero believed government institutions were designed to help those most in need and to promote the common good. Bishop Escobar pointed out that Oscar Romero was never against the existence of institutions of the government, but he publicly called out the abuse of power by leaders and actors of the institutions. Romero spoke the truth and talked to everybody: to the army, to the guerrillas, to the oligarchy, to the campesinos (everyday people). People shout, "¡Qué vive Monseñor Romero!" (Long live Monseñor Romero!), and Romero's words and actions are good guides for us today. But what does it mean to say Romero lives? We are the ones who live. We are the church. What are we doing to speak truth to those who are abusing power?

Bishop Escobar mentioned that modern politics seems to be more about feelings than issues. I won't get this quote exactly right, but the Bishop said something like: People are going for earning an oscar for generating the most popularity on social media, but we need less competition for that kind of oscar, and more competition for this kind of Oscar.