Óscar Romero and Paul VI now Catholic saints
The Salvadoran archbishop and Vatican II–era pope were among the most prominent and controversial figures of the Catholic Church in the 20th century.
Salvadoran archbishop Óscar Arnulfo Romero (left) and Pope Paul VI (right)
Salvadoran archbishop Óscar Arnulfo Romero and Pope Paul VI were canonized on October 14 at the Vatican in a ceremony in which five others were also made saints.
Francis said of Romero after his canonization that he “knew how to perfectly embody the image of the Good Shepherd, who gave his life for his sheep,” Vatican News wrote.
Romero is primarily known for his three years as archbishop from 1977 until he was martyred while celebrating mass in March 1980. El Salvador’s Truth Commission concluded that the murder was ordered by a U.S.-trained death squad leader; the case was reopened in 2017.
