Pope Francis grabbed headlines recently when he announced that Rome had lifted the block on sainthood for Archbishop Óscar Romero of San Salvador, who was shot dead while saying Mass in 1980. But much less attention was given to another of the pope’s actions, one that underscores a significant shift inside the Vatican under the Read more
The first draft of Pope Francis’s encyclical on the environment has been completed, but the Pope says he needs to be certain about the science used. Speaking with reporters on his plane flight back from Korea, Pope Francis was asked by a German journalist about the upcoming encyclical. The Pope replied that he had spoken Read more
San Salvador. In the bright morning sunlight of March 24 1980, a car stopped outside the Church of the Divine Providence. A lone gunman stepped out, unhurried. Resting his rifle on the car door, he aimed carefully down the long aisle to where El Salvador’s archbishop, Oscar Arnulfo Romero, was saying mass. A single shot Read more
Oscar Romero, now back on the path to sainthood, was called to conversion by ordinary Salvadorans. Among the welcome news coming on the heels of Pope Francis’ election was an April announcement that the canonization cause of Archbishop Óscar Romero of El Salvador has been, in the words of Italian Msgr. Vincenzo Paglia, who leads Read more
The Vatican official responsible for the sainthood cause of Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador says his cause has been “unblocked” by Pope Francis. Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia gave no further details of why the cause had been blocked in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Archbishop Romero was shot in 1980 as he Read more
The election of a Latin American Pope has renewed speculation about the likelihood of beatification for Bishop Oscar Romero, the Archbishop of San Salvador who was murdered at the altar 33 years ago. The Congregation for the Causes of Saints has been examining Romero’s cause since 1996. Bishop Gregorio Rosa Chavez, Auxiliary Bishop of San Read more