Book review: Oscar Romero's Theological Vision

Saint Oscar A. Romero was born Aug. 15, 1917, in El Salvador. He was ordained a priest in April 1942. He was appointed auxiliary bishop for San Salvador, El Salvador, in 1970 and bishop of Santiago de Maria in 1974. He was appointed archbishop of San Salvador in 1977. He was considered a very conservative clergyman, but that changed with the murder of his friend Fr. Rutillo Grande, which occurred the same year he was appointed archbishop.

Romero became an advocate for the poor and persecuted of El Salvador. He was accused by some to be a communist and a supporter of the Marxist version of Liberation Theology. Romero became the main spokesman for the poor and the oppressed because of this his enemies who were part of the government and the elite of El Salvador wanted to silence him. Some of them planned a plot to assassinate him, which occurred during Mass at a hospital chapel in San Salvador on March 24, 1980.

Saint John Paul II opened his cause for canonization in 1997, but the cause stalled until 2012 when Pope Benedict XVI started it again. On Feb. 3, 2015, Pope Francis declared Romero a martyr, which opened the way for his beatification on May 23, 2015. Romero was canonized by Pope Francis on Oct. 14, 2018, with Saint Paul VI. His feast day is March 24.

Edgardo Colon-Emeric, the director of The Center for Reconciliation at Duke University's Divinity School and the author of “Wesley, Aquinas, and Christian Perfection” (2009) is the author of this book that examines the theology of Saint Oscar Romero. Colon-Emeric is a Methodist minister. He explores the various Latin American theological themes and how these related to Romero, specifically to El Salvador. Transfiguration of Christ is a major symbol and feast of El Salvador.

On Aug. 6, the day of the feast, is the national religious and social holiday of the country. Romero preached on this many times and related the feast to the country and to the people. Over time, his approach to this feast in his homilies changed with the gradual upheaval in the country. This is only one area that Colon-Emeric examines. Other areas of focus are speaking out for Christ and his people.

This book is not for the general reader. Academics and those interested in theology will gain a lot of information from this book on Romero's theology. The author quotes a lot from Romero's homilies and other documents. There are no illustrations, but there are end notes, a bibliography and an index.

Br. Benet Exton, O.S.B., Saint Gregory's Abbey, is a freelance writer for the Sooner Catholic.