"I have frequently been threatened with death.I must tell you that, as a Christian, I do not believe in death but in resurrection.If they kill me, I will rise again in the Salvadoran people."
Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdamez, Archbishop of San Salvador, El Salvador, was born on August 15, 1917, in the town of Ciudad Barrios, in the department of San Miguel, El Salvador. He died from an assassin's bullet on March 24, 1980, in San Salvador while celebrating Mass. One well-aimed shot, fired with professional precision, was enough to bring down the small, wiry archbishop. A last mouthful of blood was the final offering of someone who throughout his sixty-three years, but especially during his last three as an archbishop, had given his entire being over to the service of the people of El Salvador, particularly to the service of the poor and the oppressed.
— Ignacio Martín Baró La Palabra Viva de Monseñor Oscar Arnulfo Romero. UCA Editores. 1980 The Monseñor Oscar Romero University was founded on the basis of the Archbishop's teachings, and most specifically, by his advocacy for the poor and the voiceless. Inspired by the Episcopal meeting at Puebla, Romero wrote: [We must] take seriously the preferential option for the poor: - Striving "to understand and denounce the mechanisms that generate this poverty."
- Uniting our efforts "with those of people of good will in order to uproot poverty and create a more just and fraternal world."
- Supporting "the aspirations of laborers and peasants, who wish to be treated as free, responsible human beings. They are called to share in the decisions that affect their lives and their future, and we encourage all to improve themselves."
- Defending "their fundamental right to freely create organizations to defend and promote their interests, and to make a responsible contribution to the common good."
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