Revolutionary Saint The Theological Legacy Of Óscar Romero, By Michael E. Lee

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PNEUMA 40 (2018) 563–624

Book Reviews

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Michael E. Lee,Revolutionary Saint: the Theological Legacy of Óscar Romero(Mary-

knoll,NY: Orbis Books, 2018). 240 pp. $27.00 softcover.

El Salvador is a small nation in terms of land mass; however, the history of this nation includes the life and legacy of Archbishop Óscar Arnulfo Romero. Romero made such an impact in the lives of the Salvadoran people that many of them already considered him a saint and had his picture hanging in their homes before his canonization. In the United States, Salvadoran immigrants also compose the third-largest Latino group, having recently surpassed Latinos of Cuban descent. Studying this book will give good insights into this grow- ing demographic in the United States and perhaps why so many of them made their journey there.

Michael Lee writes in such a way that the materials are accessible to non- scholars and non-Spanish-speaking people. Furthermore, his book is a good introduction to liberation theology, or even as a primer to anyone who is inter- ested in the intersection of personal piety and the demands of social justice in Christianity. Perhaps this is Lee’s strongest contribution, for this book is not merely a biography or hagiography, but rather an honest look at Romero’s life andSitz im Leben.

Lee strives to answer the question: “Who is Óscar Arnulfo Romero, and why is he important today?” Concomitantly, this text elucidates the circumstances that led him to become a voice for the poor and marginalized in El Salvador. It is readily apparent that Romero did not intend to be a revolutionary. In fact, Romero’s theological formation in Europe led him to be concerned with what is considered as spiritual and otherworldly matters. Lee argues that early in his career, Romero reinforced a dualism between the spiritual world and the con- crete reality of the poor in El Salvador. Lee gives examples how Romero openly criticized priests or theological moves by his peers that were perceived as polit- ical. This posture led many of the elite in El Salvador to support his nomination to the highest post of the Roman Catholic Church there.

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This assessment finds common ground beyond Catholicism, for through- out the history of Christianity this faith has had to nuance its relationship to the nation or the empire. In the case of Romero, the Catholic Church in El Salvador did not get involved in politics. Lee explains how the Church in El Sal- vador slowly changed its self-perception. Many priests trained in Europe came to know a hermeneutical process called “see-judge-act” espoused by Catholic Action (16, 23). Through this process these priests discerned how the church could work in the lives of lay people, especially through pastoral projects. Lee explains that this move created impetus for the formation of Base Ecclesiasti- cal Communities. As people gathered to study the Bible in their own language and setting, they found a safe space to reflect on and connect their faith to the concrete setting of poverty, hunger, and violence in El Salvador. Many priests encountered new questions that required novel solutions.

This hermeneutical cyclical pattern of “see-judge-act” led to a deeper under- standing of the Christian faith. Thus, the people of El Salvador were not mere liberationists who sought to overlay or superimpose Marxism on Christian- ity and/or uncritically fuse the two. Rather, the priests saw how lay people took on responsibility to understand their faith and eventually moved in what was called “self-evangelization.” This concept reflected the notion that priests empowered laypeople to minister to each other. One of the ongoing results became community organization and mobilization and eventually asking for better working conditions, fair wages, and organizing workers.

Initially, Romero opposed these type of movements, ideas, or responses by the Catholic church. In many ways he openly criticized or chastised those priests that were involved in these movements. However, Lee also explores Romero’s transition from a dualistic notion of faith, to one that is more holistic in nature. Due to the times and circumstances, Romero ultimately embraced both a transcendent spiritual dimension of faith and the tangible obligations of this faith in concrete reality.

The event that precipitated Romero to change was the assassination of a fel- low priest, Rutilio Grande in March 12, 1977. Grande was one of the few native Salvadoran Jesuit priests who actively worked among the Base communities. After this assassination, Romero openly criticized the military and asked them for a thorough investigation. Lee describes the consequent change as a conver- sion.

For Lee, this notion of conversion necessitates further dialogue and there- fore he explores the notion of conversion in this context, and ultimately traces it the Greek, metanoia. Lee teases out the meaning of this conversion. It does not mean that Romero had not previously been a Christian. Rather, it indicates Romero made a turn from a traditional pious and spiritual understanding of

PNEUMA 40 (2018) 563–624

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the Catholic faith to an orientation of taking action in concrete reality. His con- version ultimately consisted of a deeper understanding of his faith and a new vision of the reality of his country. This conversion implied not just a move from blindness to seeing, but a deepening of sight, or of what Lee terms as see- ing more fully. Interestingly enough, Lee uses Freud to explain this change in Romero as a return home in a new awareness of the depths of social sin that led him to reassess his own place in history.

Salvation is thus not an otherworldly reality where people are converted merely to go to heaven. It has tangible implications here and now. God’s will for human beings’ flourishing is made present in history. This conversion and new way of seeing reality meant that Romero had to turn away from the experi- ences and the acceptance of many in the elite socioeconomic class. Lee renders this conversion in a relatable manner, for in light of the oppression, the vio- lence, and the blood running through the streets of El Salvador, Archbishop Romero had to take a public stance in this reality. He could not sit idly by as the government systematically murdered its own people. In reality, Romero’s min- istry after this incident lasted only three years. As one reads Lee’s book, one can note how in this comparison Romero becomes a type of Christological figure, for he took on the sufferings of the poor, marginalized, and oppressed in his own context—even to the point of ultimate witness as a martyr.

Lee explains how Romero was a key figure that changed Salvadoran eccle- siology. For example, the idea of sacramentality and the church as the Body of Christ in history recognizes the presence of God in the world. In an inter- esting move, the Church that sought transcendence must now immerse itself in the world. This sacramentality leads to orthopraxis and manifesting God’s presence as active in the world.

The book closes with a list of martyrs of the Catholic Church in El Salvador and details the events leading up to Romero’s assassination. In the end Lee makes his case for the canonization of Romero as the Roman Catholic Church moved to a declaration of sainthood—in a non-traditional way. Lee has pro- duced a valuable read to those who are interested in the intersection of pietistic type of faith and a conversion to the poor. As such it may be possible for all Christians to engage this text and relate to it from their particular location. Thus, one may understand that holiness unto the Lord also implies social con- science and consequently social justice.

Daniel Orlando Álvarez

Pentecostal Theological Seminary, Cleveland, Tennessee [email protected]

PNEUMA 40 (2018) 563–624

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