Bishop killed while saying Mass beatified
SAN SALVADOR — Salvadoran archbishop Oscar Romero, who was assassinated in 1980 and whose defense of the poor divided his nation and the Church, was beatified Saturday at a ceremony attended by vast crowds.
An estimated 200,000 cheering worshippers from all over the world packed the capital San Salvador and its main square, where Pope Francis's envoy conferred the title of "blessed" on Romero, putting him one step from sainthood.
Waving flags and decked out in t-shirts printed with Romero's face, jubilant crowds of all nationalities flooded the streets, carrying placards and photos of the archbishop.
Cardinal Angelo Amato read out a letter from the pope proclaiming to the frenzied crowd that Romero "henceforth is called blessed."
"By virtue of our apostolic authority, we empower the venerable servant of God, Oscar Arnulfo Romero Galdamez," with the honor, Am- ato said to a roar of approval.
After the declaration, a choir burst into song and a giant portrait of Romero was unveiled, to more applause and hearty cheers.
Four presidents and delegations from 57 countries paid tribute to the man nicknamed the "Voice of the Voiceless," who was shot through the heart by a sniper on March 24, 1980 while delivering mass in a hospital chapel.
Amato said the date would be celebrated as Romero's feast, part of a Catholic tradition that associates each day with one or more saints.
Romero's assassination occurred at the outset of El Salvador's civil war and propelled the country deeper into a brutal conflict that raged until 1992, when the right-wing government signed a peace deal with the leftist guerrillas of the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front.