Facts about Archbishop Oscar Romero

Friday, Feb. 20, 2015

* He was born Aug. 15, 1917 in Ciudad Barrios, El Salvador, the second of seven children.

* He entered the minor seminary at age 13. 

* He was ordained a priest April 4, 1942 in Rome, where he was obtaining a doctoral degree in theology; he was called home before he finished his studies.

* He was appointed auxiliary bishop in San Salvador in 1970.

* He was appointed Bishop of the Diocese of Santiago de María in 1975.

* He was  appointed archbishop of San Salvador on Feb. 23, 1977.

* He was author of The Violence of Love, Shepherd’s Diary, Voice of the Voiceless: Four Pastoral Letters and Other Statements, and The Church is All for You

* He was shot to death on March 24, 1980 as he was celebrating Mass; the previous day he had called for Salvadoran soldiers to stop violating basic human rights at the government’s order.

* His funeral Mass was attended by more than 250,000 people from all over the world.

* During the funeral a bomb exploded outside the Cathedral of the Holy Savior in San Salvador and shots were fired; 31 people were killed during the panic that followed.

* The 1989 biopic Romero was the first Hollywood feature film to be financed by the Roman Catholic Church. 

* The cause for his beatification and canonization into sainthood was opened in 1993

* On Feb. 3, 2015, Pope Francis signed a decree recognizing Archbishop Romero as a martyr.

* Six other priests were assassinated in El Salvador during Óscar Romero’s archbishopric (1977 - 1980):

Rutilio Grande García, S.J. 

assassinated March 12, 1977

Alfonso Navarro Oviedo 

assassinated May 11, 1977

Ernesto Barrera 

assassinated Nov. 28, 1978

Octavio Ortiz Luna 

assassinated Jan. 20, 1979

Rafael Palacios 

assassinated June 20, 1979

Alirio Napoleón Macías 

assassinated Aug. 4, 1979