Skip to main content

India 'needs' likes of Oscar Romero, who fought injustice, divisiveness, xenophobia

By Fr Cedric Prakash SJ*
Forty years ago, on March 24, 2020, Archbishop Oscar Romero was brutally gunned down, whilst he celebrated the Eucharist in his native El Salvador. As the world remembers and celebrates the memory of this great Saint of our times, one is reminded of the three Ps that epitomised him: Prayer, Presence, Prophet.
Romero was a man of prayer. Throughout his life he radiated God’s compassion and mercy. He consistently communicated to his people, his closeness and deep-rootedness to God. On October 14, 2018, during the canonization ceremony of Oscar Romero, Pope Francis in his homily lauded Romero for leaving "the security of the world, even his own safety, in order to live his life according to the Gospel, close to the poor and to his people, with a heart drawn to Jesus and his brothers and sisters".
He went on to add, "Let us ask for the grace always to leave things behind for love of the Lord: to leave behind wealth, the yearning for status and power, structures that are no longer adequate for proclaiming the Gospel, those weights that slow down our mission, the strings that tie us to the world".
Romero was a man of deep faith which enabled him to transcend the narrowness of rituals and religiosity. His spirituality was contextual: the ability to read and respond to the signs of the times; the grace to take people to God and bring God to his people.
Romero believed in presence: being in the midst of his suffering people. He lived in a very tangible way what Pope Francis reminds us of today, “to smell of the sheep.” As a young priest and later as a Bishop, Romero was known for his conservative thinking and for wanting to maintain the ‘status quo’.
He had however, a long-standing friendship with Jesuit Fr Rutilio Grande. The poor and exploited of the country were Grande’s major concern. He left no stone unturned to highlight their plight and make their struggles his own. Unlike Romero, Grande did not hesitate to take up cudgels against the powerful. Grande was killed on March 12, 1977.
Romero was appointed Archbishop of San Salvador just three weeks before this dastardly deed. Grande’s death came as a great shock to Romero. At his funeral Mass, Romero said in his homily: “The government should not consider a priest who takes a stand for social justice as a politician or a subversive element when he is fulfilling his mission in the politics of the common good.”He also said openly and emphatically: “Anyone who attacks one of my priests, attacks me. If they killed Rutilio for doing what he did, then I too have to walk the same path”. From that day onwards, he immersed himself totally in defending the rights of the poor and oppressed of his country. He never looked back!
Above all, Romero was a prophet! He has convinced that he had to announce ‘the good news’ and that he could never do, so before first denouncing all that was evil in his society. He was an outspoken critic of his Government, the military and of the other right-wing elements of his country, for their continued oppression and exploitation of the poor.
He never minced words in condemning their heinous crimes. The day before his assassination, Romero delivered his now-famous Sunday homily ordering soldiers to stop killing their own countrymen: “It is time to regain your conscience. In the name of God and the name of the suffering people, I implore you, I beg you, I order you, stop the repression!” 
Romero was an outspoken critic of government, military and right-wing elements, spoke out against their continued oppression and exploitation of the poor
There has never been any doubt about who was responsible for his murder. A few days earlier, Romero stated, “As a Christian, I do not believe in death without resurrection. If I am killed, I shall rise in the Salvadoran people.” His words are still chanted today, “They can kill me, but they will never kill justice.” He was truly a prophet of his time and for all times.
On December 21, 2010, the United Nations General Assembly, in a fitting annual tribute to Oscar Romero proclaimed March 24 as the International Day for the Right to the Truth Concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims. The purpose of this day is:
  • to honour the memory of victims of gross and systematic human rights violations and promote the importance of the right to truth and justice;
  • to pay tribute to those who have devoted their lives to, and lost their lives in the struggle to promote and protect human rights for all;
  • to recognise, in particular, the important work and values of Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero of El Salvador, who was assassinated on 24 March 24,1980, after denouncing violations of the human rights of the most vulnerable populations and defending the principles of protecting lives, promoting human dignity and opposition to all forms of violence.
Today, India and the world at large, yearn for the likes of Oscar Romero. Untruth and injustice, divisiveness and discrimination, xenophobia and exploitation seem to rule the roost everywhere. The so-called leaders from across the political, religious and social spectrum are afraid of taking a visible and vocal stand against the powers that crush others.
Several political, corporate and even ‘religious’ leaders use hate and jingoism to nurture their lust for power and greed for wealth. People are kept divided and on the fringes of society for whimsical reasons.
Truth and justice are conveniently sacrificed for petty political gains; those whose primary duty is to propagate and protect these essentials, like the judiciary or the ‘holy’ folk, just abdicate their responsibility; they feel either too embarrassed or very frightened to take a stand or they just succumb to the diktats of their masters!
Scant attention is paid to the victims of crime and violence, particularly the institutionalized ones. The poor and the other vulnerable, continue to be the victims of unjust structures everywhere. Romero was never afraid to highlight these realities!
As we observe yet another day dedicated to this great Saint of our times, let us do our best to mainstream the dimensions of prayer, presence and prophet in our lives. May we allow ourselves to be challenged and inspired by Romero’s words:
“I will not tire of declaring that if we really want an effective end to violence we must remove the violence that lies at the root of all violence: structural violence, social injustice, exclusion of citizens from the management of the country, repression. All this is what constitutes the primal cause, from which the rest flows naturally”.
Saint Oscar Romero we remember you today: intercede for us from above!
---
*Human rights and peace activist/writer. Contact: cedricprakash@gmail.com

Comments

TRENDING

Wave of disappearances sparks human rights fears for activists in Delhi

By Harsh Thakor*  A philosophy student from Zakir Hussain College, Delhi University, and an activist associated with Nazariya magazine, Rudra, has been reported missing since the morning of July 19, 2025. This disappearance adds to a growing concern among human rights advocates regarding the escalating number of detentions and disappearances of activists in Delhi.

‘Act of war on agriculture’: Aruna Rodrigues slams GM crop expansion and regulatory apathy

By Rosamma Thomas*  Expressing appreciation to the Union Agriculture Minister for inviting suggestions from farmers and concerned citizens on the sharp decline in cotton crop productivity, Aruna Rodrigues—lead petitioner in the Supreme Court case ongoing since 2005 that seeks a moratorium on genetically modified (GM) crops—wrote to Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on July 14, 2025, stating that conflicts of interest have infiltrated India’s regulatory system like a spreading cancer, including within the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR).

Aggressive mining operations: With 70% of Maharashtra’s forest cover, Gadchiroli is on brink of environmental collapse

By  Raj Kumar Sinha*  A looming ecological and social disaster is unfolding in the forests of Gadchiroli, Maharashtra. Over 1.23 lakh trees are set to be felled for mining activities—an alarming development that has sparked widespread protests from Adivasi communities and civil society organizations. They are urging the state and central governments to immediately halt all mining-related approvals and operations in the region. They are also calling for a complete review of all clearances, including Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) and Detailed Project Reports (DPR), based on holistic ecological, hydrological, and social assessments. These groups demand that forest corridors and tiger habitats be recognized as protected areas, and that the laws under the Forest Rights Act (2006) and PESA Act (1996) be strictly enforced. Most crucially, they insist that decisions made by tribal gram sabhas be respected through transparent public hearings.

Overriding India's constitutional sovereignty? Citizens urge PM to reject WHO IHR amendments

By A Representative   A group of concerned Indian citizens, including medical professionals and activists, has sent an urgent appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to reject proposed amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHR) before the ratification deadline of July 19, 2025. 

Farmer 'stripped, assaulted' by BSF jawan in West Bengal border village: Rights group urges NHRC to act

By A Representative  A disturbing incident of alleged custodial torture and public humiliation has been brought to the attention of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) by a leading human rights group, Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM), involving a Muslim farmer in a border village of West Bengal. In a formal complaint, Kirity Roy, Secretary of MASUM and National Convenor of the Programme Against Custodial Torture & Impunity (PACTI), has urged the NHRC to take urgent action following an incident that occurred on the morning of June 12, 2025, in Hakimpur village near the India–Bangladesh border under Swarupnagar police station, North 24 Parganas district. According to the complaint, 38-year-old Jahar Ali Gazi, a resident of Hakimpur Uttar Para, was on his way to his field in Kadamtala Math around 7:30 am when he was stopped by an on-duty Border Security Force (BSF) jawan near the 7 No. Outpost of Hakimpur Border Outpost (143 Battalion). The location...

India’s zero-emission, eco-friendly energy strategies have a long way to go, despite impressive progress

By N.S. Venkataraman*   The recent report released by OPEC’s World Oil Outlook 2025 has predicted that by the year 2050, crude oil would replace coal as India’s key energy source. Clearly, OPEC expects that India’s dependence on fossil fuels for energy will continue to remain high in one form or another.

The Empire strikes inward: Britain’s colonial legacy now targets its own citizens

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak   British colonialism may belong to the past, but the colonial mindset of the ruling elite in Britain persists. Today, these elites are applying colonial values and repressive political tactics not abroad, but to their own people. 'Home' is now where British colonialism is taking root—threatening civil liberties and undermining liberal democracy. The criminalisation of dissent has become a shared political practice across the Conservative and Labour leadership.

Ecological alarm over pumped storage projects in Western Ghats: Policy analyst writes to PM

By A Representative   In a detailed letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, energy and climate policy analyst Shankar Sharma has raised grave concerns over the escalating approval and construction of Pumped Storage Projects (PSPs) across India’s ecologically fragile river valleys. He has warned that these projects, if pursued unchecked, could result in irreparable damage to the country’s riverine ecology, biodiversity hotspots, and forest wealth—particularly in the Western Ghats.

Gurdial Singh Paharpuri: A lifetime of revolutionary contribution and unfulfilled aspirations

By Harsh Thakor*  Gurdial Singh Paharpuri, a Central Committee member of the Communist Party Re-Organisation Centre of India (Marxist-Leninist) (CPRCI(ML)), passed away on July 2, marking a significant loss for the Indian Communist Revolutionary movement. For six decades, Singh championed the cause of revolution, leaving an enduring impact through his lifelong dedication to the global proletarian movement. His contributions are considered foundational, laying groundwork for future advancements in revolutionary thought. He is recognized as a key figure among Indian Communist revolutionary leaders who shaped the mass line, and his example is seen as a model for revolutionary communists to follow.