Oscar Romero

On this day in 1980 Oscar Romero was shot and killed while celebrating Mass at a small hospital chapel one day after a sermon in which he had called on Salvadoran soldiers, as Christians, to obey God's higher order and to stop carrying out the government's repression and violations of basic human rights.

Romero was buried in the Metropolitan Cathedral of San Salvador and his funeral was attended by more than 250,000 mourners. During the ceremony smoke bombs exploded on the streets near the cathedral and rifle shots came from surrounding buildings. 30-50 people were killed.

Romero had much to say. Much that was deemed dangerous. I guess not much has changed in the last 35 years. Amongst those things he said:

There are many things that can only be seen through eyes that have cried.....
Each one of you has to be God’s microphone. Each one of you has to be a messenger.....
When I fed the poor, they called me a saint. When I asked why the poor had no food, they called me a Communist.....