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s2smodern

In the Chapel for Europe in Brussels October was a month where we reflected on sanctity and its political implications. We started this month with the conference on “Becoming a Saint in Politics”, covering the lives of Robert Schuman and Alcide de Gasperi, two of founding fathers of Europe, who are on the way to be declared saints. We finished the month with the evening of reflection on “Bishop Romero of America, Prophet and Martyr” highlighting the heritage of the new proclaimed Saint and his importance for Europe and the Universal Church.

The voice of the voiceless

For Bishop Romero, the voice of the voiceless poor, is certainly not just a local saint from El Salvador but a great example for the worldwide Church, not only Catholic but Ecumenical and recognized in all of Latin America, Africa, Asia and Europe. He is an archbishop who not only preached the love for the poor, but defended them and gave his life for them. He is a man of “faith and justice”.  

During this evening we were led from a short film about Oscar Romero, through emotional testimonies of Salvadorian people, to reflections of Martin Maier sJ and Rodolfo Cardenal sJ on what remembering Bishop Romero should mean today. The Chapel was packed with people and a big part of the audience came from the Spanish speaking Latin American community in Brussels. The tasty “pupusas”, excellent thick corn tortillas, traditional Salvadorian dish offered by the Salvadorian embassy, let people to stay and share long after the conference.

What can Bishop Romero mean for us today?

He is certainly an “uncomfortable Saint” in a rather comfortable world of the European civil servants. A saint who certainly inspires communion and solidarity but also, in his radicalism, provokes uneasiness, because once met, he doesn’t leave us in peace. He pulls us out of our peaceful life, confronts with our limitations through his lifestyle witnessing to faith and promoting social justice.

Let him give a voice at the end (the quote comes from his speech when he was rewarded with an honorary doctorate at the Catholic University of Leuven in 1980): “The political dimension of the faith is nothing other than the church’s response to the demands made upon it by the de facto socio-political world in which it exists. (…) That is not to say that the church should regard itself as a political institution entering into competition with other political institutions (…) I am talking of something more profound, something more in keeping with the gospel. I am talking about an authentic option for the poor, of becoming incarnate in their world, of proclaiming the good news to them, of giving them hope, of encouraging them to engage in a liberating praxis, of defending their cause and of sharing their fate”.

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s2smodern