Vatican City, Feb 19, 2008 / 02:05 am
The beatification cause of Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero has stalled because of a question concerning whether the archbishop died as a martyr for the faith, the Associated Press reports.
In the late 1970s Oscar Romero, Archbishop of San Salvador, criticized the actions of the military-led government in El Salvador during its crackdown on suspected guerillas and leftist opponents. He delivered passionate homilies condemning human rights abuses by the government and paramilitary groups. He also advocated the welfare of the poor.
The day after calling on the military to halt its repression, he was shot during Mass at a hospital chapel on March 23, 1980
Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins, head of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, said there was a question about the motive of the archbishop’s assassin.