Though canonized in 2018 for standing in solidarity with the sufferings and hopes of Salvadoran peasants, Oscar Romero was not always a champion of the rights of the poor. When he was chosen as archbishop of San Salvador, the oligarchy of wealthy landowners and business people rejoiced because he was considered a safe choice. However, the violence and repression he witnessed moved him to speak out against poverty, social injustice, assassinations, and torture.
