Romero: A Saint for the Americas
By the time he was shot dead in 1980 millions of people already considered Archbishop Romero of El Salvador a living saint. This included many of those at his last service, who were listening with rapt attention when gunmen shot him as he stood at the altar celebrating mass. Almost 35 years later, Romero remains a national hero in violence-ridden El Salvador and this year Pope Francis made the decision that the Catholic Church would follow the lead of the people and declare him an official saint. However, as one of the names most associated with Liberation Theology in the region, and a champion for the rights of the downtrodden, he remains a controversial figure for the Church, where leaders remain unsure of how to treat his legacy. To mark the week of Archbishop Romero’s beatification ceremony in San Salvador , Mark Dowd explores the impact the outspoken bishop had on El Salvador. (BBC)