March 23, 2011. President Barack Obama visited the grave of Archbishop Oscar Romero on his trip in Latin America. Archbishop Romero served the Church of El Salvador during a bloody civil war. He was an outspoken critic of the governments violations of human rights and campaigned on both sides for an end to the violence.
He was shot and killed by a right-wing sniper on March 24, 1980 during a celebration of Mass.
Romero is widely recognized as a champion of human rights and the cause for his beatification is being reviewed in the Vatican.
Some have worried that Obama's visit will shed an unnecessary amount of political focus on Romero that could affect his road to sainthood.
But the current archbishop of San Salvador, Jose Luis Alas, says the president's visit will only shine a positive light on Romero, showing that he was “a great hero of the American continent.”
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