Book Review

Greater love has no man …

Oscar Romero and the Communion of Saints: a biography

It is now 30 years since Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador was assassinated by a Salvadorean military death squad, on 24 March 1980. Christians throughout the world will remember the “Monseñor”, as he was known, during this anniversary year. This book helps us appreciate why Oscar Romero has found a place in the affection, memories and spirituality of so many people.

Scott Wright moved to El Salvador in the year Romero was killed. He worked as a pastor with refugees and rural communities for 10 years, and found himself drawn more deeply into the story of Oscar Romero because of what he learned from the witness and commitment of so many campesinos (peasants) who loved and followed their archbishop.
Wright explores the humble beginnings of Romero’s life in the small town of Ciudad Barrios, in the east of El Salvador, describing his early apprenticeship with a carpenter and his time spent working in a mine to supplement his family’s income, when his mother was seriously ill. The story of his early life is  significant in helping us to respond to one of the most frequently asked questions about Oscar Romero: was the murder of his Jesuit friend Rutilio Grande, just 20 days after his appointment as archbishop in February 1977, the turning point in Romero’s life? Jon Sobrino, a Jesuit and close friend of Romero, is quoted as saying: “I think that, as Arch­bishop Romero stood gazing at the mortal remains of Rutilio Grande, the scales fell from his eyes.” Romero himself said that he gradually found himself “returning to his roots, to the world of the poor”.

The journey of Oscar Romero from his humble home to the moment of martyrdom was difficult and, at times, lonely. Wright explores, with frequent quotes from many sources, the life of Romero from his childhood through his priesthood, his role as secretary to the bishops’ conference, his time as auxiliary bishop and rector of the seminary, to his appointment as Bishop of Santiago de Maria. He charts Monseñor’s struggles with friends who urged him to take a clearer stand against the rich and powerful in the country. He had lived through Vatican II and was very conscious of the momentous meeting of Latin American bishops at Medellín in 1968; but he was extremely cautious of change and anything that could be interpreted as “political involvement”.

One of his critics said: “Fr Romero? He went around with sheep and wolves, and his thinking was that the sheep and the wolves should eat from the same dish because that’s what was pleasing to God.” As a result of his deepening association with the lives of poor people, Oscar Romero gradually found himself back among his roots; and he remained there for the rest of his life.

Through copious quotations from the archbishop’s sermons and letters, it becomes clear that, as Wright says: “These three themes – the dignity of the human person, the salvation of people in history and the transcendent dimension of liberation – form the heart of Romero’s spirituality, and they may be found in almost every homily that he preached as archbishop of San Salvador.”

Oscar Romero was steeped in the social teaching of the Church, as well as in the Scriptures and the lives of the poor. He prepared his homilies meticulously. As archbishop, he would meet weekly with advisers to explore what to say. He would often spend the time from 10 p.m. on Saturday evening until 4 a.m. on Sunday preparing what he would say, sleep for a couple of hours and then arrive at the cathedral at 8 a.m. to prepare to celebrate Mass. “The glory of God”, he would say, “is the living, poor person.”

He fully appreciated that his life was drawing to a close: the end came as he lifted the chalice at the offertory during an evening Mass in the hospital chapel where he lived. Just a few days before he was murdered, he offered these words of faith and affirmation: “My life has been threatened many times. I have to confess that as a Christian, I don’t believe in death without resurrection. If they kill me, I will rise again in the Salvadorean people.” Romero died loving his enemies. “You can tell people, if they succeed in killing me, that I forgive and bless those who do it. Hopefully they will realise that they are wasting their time. A bishop will die, but the Church of God, which is the people, will go on.”

Although a short book, all sources and comment are meticulously catalogued and it is graced with many pictures, some quite brutal, which help to give shape and meaning to the biography itself. The story draws us into the politics of the country, but also into the politics of the Church in El Salvador, as well as the United States and the Vatican. But above all, Wright’s book is a passionate, accessible, well-researched meditation on the life of Oscar Romero. This reflection on conversion, profound faith and courage is also an invitation to every reader to ponder the same questions that faced the Monseñor.

There is no doubt that in the minds and hearts of so many people in El Salvador and beyond, the Monseñor is indeed part of the “Communion of Saints” – that part we used to call “triumphant”. We may hope that it is only a short time before this is officially recognised and celebrated.

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