ARCHBISHOP ROMERO’S HOMILIES A THEOLOGICAL AND PASTORAL ANALYSIS THOMAS GREENAN This was translated from the original Spanish by the Archbishop Romero Trust. It is available to download from www.romerotrust.org.uk. Contents INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................................. 10 CHRONOLOGY OF THE LIFE OF OSCAR ROMERO .................................................................... 13 CHAPTER ONE - OSCAR ROMERO, BELIEVER IN GOD ................................................................ 14 1.1 The person of Oscar Romero ........................................................................................................... 14 1.1.1 The childhood of Oscar Romero ................................................................................................ 14 1.1.2 Seminarian and priest .................................................................................................................... 14 1.1.3 The sheep and the wolves are just the same .............................................................................. 14 1.1.4 Secretary of the El Salvador Bishops’ Conference (CEDES) ................................................. 15 1.1.5 Editor of the weekly bulletin Orientación .................................................................................. 15 1.1.6 Auxiliary Bishop of San Salvador ................................................................................................ 15 1.1.7 The expulsion of the Jesuit teachers from the seminary .......................................................... 15 1.1.8 Bishop of Santiago de Maria ........................................................................................................ 16 1.1.9 The argument about the Los Naranjos Centre .......................................................................... 16 1.1.10 The Tres Calles massacre .............................................................................................................. 16 1.1.11 Archbishop of San Salvador ......................................................................................................... 17 1.1.12 The murder of Rutilio Grande ..................................................................................................... 17 1.1.13 A single Sunday Mass in the Archdiocese .................................................................................. 18 1.2 Archbishop Romero, Believer in God ............................................................................................ 18 PART ONE - THE THEOLOGICAL THOUGHT OF ARCHBISHOP ROMERO ............................... 20 CHAPTER TWO - CHARACTERISTICS OF THE GOD INCARNATE IN EL SALVADOR ...... 20 2.1 The God ever near ............................................................................................................................. 20 2.2 The Incarnate God ............................................................................................................................. 21 2.3 The One and Only God .................................................................................................................... 22 CHAPTER THREE - CHARACTERISTICS OF CHRIST INCARNATE IN THE SALVADOREAN PEOPLE ............................................................................................................................. 23 3.1 Christ incarnate in the Church .......................................................................................................... 23 3.2 Christ incarnate in his people ........................................................................................................... 23 3.3 Christ incarnate in his poor, tortured, murdered people .............................................................. 24 CHAPTER FOUR - CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CHURCH INCARNATE IN THE LIFE OF EL SALVADOR ................................................................................................................................................... 25 4.1 Think with the mind of the Church ................................................................................................. 25 4.1.1 Faithfulness to the magisterium ................................................................................................... 25 Thomas Greenan, Archbishop Romero’s Homilies: A Theological and Pastoral Analysis 2 4.1.2 Personal adherence to the Pope .................................................................................................. 26 4.2 The Church incarnate in the world .................................................................................................. 27 4.2.1 Church for humanity ..................................................................................................................... 27 4.2.2 The State should exist for its people ........................................................................................... 27 4.2.3 The Church crucified in our world .............................................................................................. 28 4.3 The Church is a mother ..................................................................................................................... 28 4.3.1 Mary united with the persecuted Church ................................................................................... 28 4.3.2 Mary, Mother of the abandoned .................................................................................................. 29 4.3.3 The cry of holy rebellion and active non-violence .................................................................... 29 4.4 The Church of love ............................................................................................................................ 30 4.4.1 The strength of the Church is love ............................................................................................. 30 4.4.2 The strength to forgive enemies .................................................................................................. 31 4.5 The Church Catholic and open ........................................................................................................ 31 4.5.1 The salvation of Christ goes beyond the Church ...................................................................... 31 4.5.2 It is love that saves ......................................................................................................................... 32 4.6 The Church is free .............................................................................................................................. 32 4.6.1 The Church journeys with the poor and weak .......................................................................... 32 4.6.2 The Church does not side with the arrogant State ................................................................... 33 4.7 The Church is not the whole of the Kingdom of God ................................................................ 34 4.7.1 The Church is the servant of the Kingdom of God ................................................................. 34 4.7.2 The Kingdom of God is bigger than the Church ..................................................................... 35 4.8 The Church is not the whole people ............................................................................................... 35 4.8.1 The people of the country and the People of God .................................................................. 35 4.8.2 The people is broader than any human group ........................................................................... 36 4.8.3 The Church united with the people ............................................................................................ 36 4.9 Division within the Church ............................................................................................................... 37 4.9.1 Two simultaneous pastoral letters with contradictory emphases ........................................... 37 4.9.2 The case of Caritas and auxiliary bishop Revelo ....................................................................... 38 4.10 The sinful Church ............................................................................................................................... 39 4.10.1 The human Church in sinful humanity ....................................................................................... 39 4.10.2 Sin against the rich – sin against the poor .................................................................................. 40 4.11 The Church and politics .................................................................................................................... 40 4.11.1 The Church as an institution does not engage in politics ........................................................ 40 4.11.2 The Church promotes the common good in accordance with the Gospel .......................... 41 4.11.3 Divine authority is superior to human authority ....................................................................... 42 4.12 The Church and capitalism ............................................................................................................... 42 4.12.1 Hoarding possessions does not bring happiness ...................................................................... 42 4.12.2 Love brings happiness ..................................................................................................................