SPIRITUALITY, FAIR TRADE AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
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01	October 2013

Monsenor: The Last Journey of Oscar Romero

Text #1: Monsenor Romero: "Whose pastor am I? Of a people that suffers or a people that oppresses? Which side will I defend? Do I defend the powerful or advocate for the oppressed? My mission is not to defend the powerful but the oppressed, and here I am."

Response #1: I heard this quote in the beginning of the movie by a man who was quoting Monsenor Romero. From what I saw in the movie, Monsenor Romero was in a sense, the "people's man" after Rutillo was assassinated. Rutillo was also the "people's man." Many who were interviewed in the video spoke of Rutillo as being different from other priests and actually liberating them. Before, the church was all about the wealthy, but here was Rutillo and later on Romero who made the church for the poor. They gave those who thought they had no chance, almost an uprising. I say uprising because the poor were taught gospels and what's in the Bible. The military, however, would punish anyone they saw with a Bible. I thought it was noble for peasants to continue carrying around Bibles and even to organize their own army to stand up for their freedom against the government.

I found this movie kind of gory and gruesome, but not as gory as The Walking Dead. Of course, the scenes and gory images in The Walking Dead is all makeup and graphics, whereas the movie showed actual photos of dead civilians and what the military did to them. This civil war in El Salvador reminds me of Afghanistan (I think it is Afghanistan) where the military is killing and torturing their own civilians. My question to them is, why? Why are you killing peasants who just want to attend church and sing gospels? Is it because they want more freedom than what's allowed? Because they want to be caught up in 'freedom to practice a religion' as the US has? Where in the Bible or anywhere else does it say that the government, who is run by the clergy, is allowed to killed others? This makes the clergy hypocrites because they say they follow the Bible so much, yet here they are taking the life of another.

Text #2: "We are the ones who put you where you are. We can get rid of you anytime we want. And if it is necessary, we will eliminate..."

Response #2: As said by the military to civilians. I found this twisted. The government's supposed to protect it's citizens but here they are killing them. What's even worst is the military leaves the corpses out in the street for people to see. Imagine what it must be like for children to see this. Every corner they turn is a bloodied, dead body probably with organs and guts on the ground. I know I'd be sick to my stomach and scarred for life if I were to see such graphic imagines in front of me. And I don't mean pictures. I mean the actual bodies, like the children in El Salvador see.

Monsenor Romero did what El Salvador desperately needed. He gave them more than a priest who guides them in prayer. He guided them and taught them, which gave them hope in a brighter future. However, the war and the stench of death looming over them wasn't much of freedom.

In relation to fair trades: Monsenor Romero gave his followers hope, like artisans in third world countries are getting from fair trades. It's almost like a new beginning, which I think is the start of everything - having the chance to leave a horrid past behind for a brighter future.

I have to admit that I wasn't too excited to watch this movie but now I am glad I watched it.