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On the Daily Show last week there was a powerful segment where Jon Stewart tore apart the recent decision in Texas to exclude Archbishop Oscar Romero – who was assassinated 30 years ago this week by graduates from the School of the Americas (SOA) – from a list of great political or moral figures of the twentieth century that will appear in high school text books.
As Jimmy McCarty explains at Sojourners’ blog:
Romero was Archbishop of El Salvador for only three brief years, but his impact continues to this day. In the midst of dire poverty and rampant violence, Archbishop Romero never wavered from publicly preaching nonviolence and the Christian commitment to the poorest of the poor. He did not waver when intimidated, and he loved both the poor and the enemies of the poor. He brought international attention to the gross human rights violations in El Salvador and was a living witness to the gospel of Jesus. His life is recent evidence of the power of the message of Jesus to transform individuals, communities, and social structures. Every Christian can learn from his example.
On March 24, 1980… as Archbishop Romero prepared to administer the Eucharist during the memorial service of the mother of a friend, a single bullet pierced his chest, splintered, and struck his heart.
To read more, check out John Dear’s reflection on Romero at the National Catholic Reporter, and this nice piece in Killing the Buddha.