Monsenor: The Last Journey of Oscar Romero

Text #1: Archbishop Oscar Romero was called a theologian of the Beatitudes, who not only practiced and lived them every single day, but also made them real for the people of El Salvador.

Text #2: The second point that stood out to me was his urgent appeal for the soldiers to disobey their orders to kill from their superiors.

Response #1: Oscar Romero was called a theologian of the Beatitudes because he defended the rights of the poor and made them human rights. In the opening scene of the movie, the viewer can overhear Archbishop Romero saying "Whose pastor am I? Am I the pastor of a people that suffers or oppresses?" These questions are indicative of the type of leader he was. From the start, he aligned himself with the teachings of the Church and made it his mission to comfort the poor and have them treated with the dignity that Jesus would have showed them. With the death of his dear from Father Rutilio Grande, Oscar Romero demanded that there be no further participation in the government's function until his death was investigated, he closed all Catholic schools so they could study the "national reality," and he declared Misa Unica, so that the people could worship together. Romero was a man of his word and God's Word, and he made it clear that he would not tolerate injustice, so he took direct action through nonviolent action.

Response #2: With his urgent appeal in his final homily to disobey orders to kill, Archbishop Romero essentially wrote his own death sentence. However, he never spoke of his own death and never wanted protection for his life. Insubordination is considered a military crime so this appeal was not supported by the military whatsoever. Romero was accused of being a terrorist and a communist who was planning to overthrow the government. Throughout the accusations and his entire time in El Salvador, Romero remained focused on the Law of God as the ultimate power. The Law of God was missing through the 80,000 deaths and 500,000 misplaced citizens. Romero insisted that God's message be present on earth amidst utter chaos, and he was going to have this happen even if it meant he would die.

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