Resurrection in El Salvador:
Be a Patriot, Kill a Priest
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| Mother Theresa never asked why. Romero did. |
When it came to poverty, Mother Teresa never asked why. Therefore, she was a favorite of the powerful. In the 1970s, Central American priests started asking why. Like Jesus, they were "liberation theologians." Also like Jesus, they threatened the powerful…and were killed. El Salvador's arch-bishop Oscar Romero asked why, and was gunned down while giving Mass. Empowered by Liberation Theology and opposed by the USA, the poor rebelled, plunging El Salvador into a long and bloody Civil War.
In 1959, the success of the Cuban revolution inspired revolutionary movements throughout Central America. In 1965 Vatican II encouraged the faithful to take their religion a little more personally. In 1968 the Catholic Bishops of Latin America met at Medellin (in Colombia). They called for Christians to live out the gospel and encouraged them to find dignity while on earth. This was Liberation Theology. In the 1970s, the first Christian Base Communities — which implemented this take on Christianity in their daily lives — were formed. In these Liberation Theology-driven barrios, resurrection is the responsibility of the community. When one is killed, he or she lives on in the community.
Historically, the power centers in Central America have been the military, the landowners and the church. (Same as in feudal Europe.) After Vatican II and the bishops' conference at Medellin, when the church decided to embrace Jesus' preferential option for the poor, the old alliance which so effectively kept the people down began breaking apart.
This was serious stuff and the USA took note. When Liberation Theology first stirred, in the late 1960s, Nelson Rockefeller was dispatched to find out what it was. He helped establish an American stance that considered this politicization of Christianity a direct challenge to American interests in Central America.
The story of martyrdom in El Salvador began here. Before, active peasants were killed. From the 1970s on, church leaders were targeted. "Be a patriot…kill a priest" was a fun bumper sticker-like slogan among El Salvador's national guard.
Even today, the American government funds the promotion of fundamentalism in Central America — the non-political "escapist" alternative to Liberation Theology. American televangelists supplement that by mobilizing their followers to send money so the downtrodden down south can be taught to "just say no" when it comes to the struggle for dignity.
Fundamentalist pastors are fond of claiming "God spoke to me." God often tells them something along the lines of "Suffer now, enjoy later." God becomes a healer, and a witch doctor…hungry people eat this up. This "message from God" tactic is convenient for politicians too. President Bush used it when he declared in a televised address, "God told me to attack Afghanistan, so I did. God told me to invade Iraq and so I did." How can you argue…especially when God doesn't care to talk to you?
The 1980s were the golden age of Liberation Theology and Christian Base Communities. In the 1990s after the peace accords ended the Civil War, this movement morphed into a political party (FMLN). Today, Liberation Theology seems dormant as a political force. The Catholic church is extremely conservative (the arch-bishop practices the Opus Dei brand of Roman Catholicism) and the charismatic Pentecostal faith (so USA-friendly) is booming. In both cases, politics are inappropriate in church. Don't ask why.
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