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Heart and Soul: Romero - A Saint For The Americas: Romero: A Saint for the Americas

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Romero

22/05/2015 GMT

Romero: A Saint for the Americas

Romero - A Saint For The Americas

BBC World Service - Heart and Soul, Romero - A Saint For The Americas, Romero: A Saint for the Americas

Romero known as a saint for the Americas and now a saint for the whole world

By the time he was shot dead in 1980 millions of people already considered Archbishop Romero a living saint. This included many of those at his last service, who were listening with rapt attention when gunmen burst in and shot him as he stood on the altar as he was celebrating mass.

Almost 35 years later, Romero remains a national hero in violence-ridden El Salvador and earlier this year Pope Francis made the decision that the Catholic Church would follow the lead of the people and declare him an official saint. However, as one of the names most associated with Liberation Theology in the region, and a champion for the rights of the downtrodden, he remains a controversial figure for the Church, where leaders remain unsure of how to treat his legacy.

Mark Dowd travels to El Salvador and wanders the street where memories of Romero continue to burn bright. From a country best known for its gang and drug violence, Mark explores how this outspoken bishop stood up to the violence of the time and a ruthless government at war with its own citizens. In doing so he became an icon for justice in the region. Mark investigates how his outspoken words against the politicians and his support of the country's poorer citizens ruffled the feathers of the Church establishment – and ultimately led to his bloody death on the altar and his position as a martyr and now saint for the Church around the globe as well as the Americas.

***Since it was first broadcast this programme has been edited to amend a technical error.***

(Photo: A woman walks past a wall mural depicting Archbishop Romero with the slogan Saint of America. Copyright: Jose Cabezas/AFP/Getty Images)

Heart and Soul: Romero - A Saint For The Americas

BBC World Service

Mark Dowd travels to El Salvador to explore the legacy of Archbishop Oscar Romero.

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