"My death, if accepted by God, may it be for the liberation of my people and as a testimony of hope in the future. You can rest assured that if they ever murder me, I forgive and bless who ever does it. Maybe thus, they will be convinced they are wasting their time. A bishop will die, but the Church of God, which is the people, will never die"
El Salvador's Archbishop Oscar Romero has been beatified by the Roman Catholic Church for his work defending the rights of the most vulnerable.
He fought against the repression and crimes committed by death squads (armed and advised by U.S intelligence) against the Church and civilians.
In his sermons, Romero denounced the human rights violations that campesinos, workers, priests and the population of the country being subjected to at the hands of a repressive and violent military dictatorship.
During his homilies, transmitted on Catholic radio, Romero denounced the death squads and the enforced disappearances of innocent civilians, while demanding justice for society.
Romero fought to defend the right of the people to organize and protest peacefully to demand their rights.
