 March 2005
American Friends Service Committee Peacework Magazine Sara Burke, Pat Farren, Founding Editor 2161 Massachusetts Ave. Telephone number: Fax number:
pwork@igc.org Peacework has been published monthly since 1972, intended to serve as a source of dependable information to those who strive for peace and justice and are committed to furthering the nonviolent social change necessary to achieve them. Rooted in Quaker values and informed by AFSC experience and initiatives, Peacework offers a forum for organizers, fostering coalition-building and teaching the methods and strategies that work in the global and local community. Peacework seeks to serve as an incubator for social transformation, introducing a younger generation to a deeper analysis of problems and issues, reminding and re-inspiring long-term activists, encouraging the generations to listen to each other, and creating space for the voices of the disenfranchised. Views expressed are those of the authors, not necessarily of the AFSC. |
Honoring Archbishop Romero Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero was assassinated on March 24, 1980. Romero had a simple beginning. He was born in 1917, the son of a telegraph operator, grew up without a bed of his own. Romero was ordained in 1942. Romero had been known for his piety, conservatism, and dedication to the church. But early in his watch something changed within Romero. He saw priests being expelled and killed by the military. Peasants whose loved ones had been murdered came to him for solace. On March 12, 1977 Romero's friend Father Rutilio Grande, a man who was committed to social justice in El Salvador, was killed. The priest who had been known for his piety and conservatism developed a prophetic voice. He became an outspoken advocate for the poor and the oppressed. He begged the military to end the oppression and wrote to President Carter asking for an end to US military aid. He lived with the knowledge that he was a target, and was killed while celebrating mass. "I have frequently been threatened with death. I must say that, as a Christian, I do not believe in death but in the resurrection. If they kill me, I shall rise again in the Salvadoran people." Solidarity groups in the greater Boston area have joined forces to promote 2005 as the Year of Romero.
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