The following notes have been edited to correct errors and to add explanations and updates. Parenthetical notes and remarks from the original are enclosed in parentheses. Present day [2022] updates are italicized and enclosed in square brackets.
8 October 1990, 7:00 PM - The Guest House
It is our final evening in El Salvador and many guests have been invited to the Guest House for a meal and discussion. Bishop Medardo Gomez arrives about 6:30 PM, accompanied by J. and J. This is a great honor for us; he rarely goes out after dark because of the threats against his life. He is immediately the center of attention, a quietly intense and imposing presence seated on one of the couches in the common room. After a few minutes the word goes out that we should gather around him. He wants to talk with us before the meal so that he can go home early and be ready for an early-morning departure for meetings in the U.S.
"For better or for worse, we have a process of peace going on in our country. It is not complete, but we are moving. Delegations like yours help to open this space. You are like a great choir, carrying the stories. I want to assure you that, even though you might not think so, your presence helps in the process for peace. Extend my thankfulness to the brothers and sisters in the United States for their solidarity and prayers. This is a great contribution for the building of peace here."
At this point he introduces Pastor W., from San Miguel, who is president of the eastern region of the Lutheran Church in El Salvador. Later I hear the opinion from several of the delegates who have been here before that Pastor W. is the apparent next Lutheran Bishop of El Salvador. He has the faith and commitment to working with the poor, plus the education needed to move comfortably in international circles.
"I think that this is a beautiful country, geographically speaking. It is filled with people and cities, which is very good. The indigenous are a people of great faith. There were three great indigenous cultures. In the southern part of the country were the Nauguahas, in the northeast the Mayas, and in the east the Lincas. I am from San Miguel. (By implication, then, he is of Linca or, more probably, mixed Linca and Hispanic descent.) The indigenous are intelligent and have a high level of culture. When the discoverers first came, they realized that they had come in contact with a great culture.
"The indigenous lived a collective way of life. They had great cities, which could compare with the great cities of Europe. They were advanced in mathematics, astronomy, cosmology. They had come up with a calendar, similar to that of the Aztecs, which was said to have been a perfect calendar. I say these things so that you can see that these people are normal, intelligent, like other people.
"Unfortunately, the conquistadors came and destroyed this culture. They killed the indigenous. Those who remained they enslaved. They brought in the notion of private property. All this began in 1492. What you can see, then, is that in 1992 we will have had five hundred years of injustice among us. In 1992, instead of celebrating a triumph, there should be a sense of disgrace as we remember this tragedy. I come from five hundred years of injustice.
"When children of the conquistadors were born, they tried to become independent from Spain, their motherland. So they said to the slaves that they should become part of the struggle for independence. Then the slaves, too, would be free. So the indigenous went along with this plan and joined the struggle. On September 15th, 1821, El Salvador gained independence from Spain. The indigenous were then free from slavery, but they entered a state of worse poverty, a worse situation. Before, they at least had had food and homes. Now they were on their own and had nothing. They had been tricked and had lost on this deal.
"The indigenous began to protest against the children of the conquistadors. The protests reached the point where the conquistadors did not like it. So the conquistadors organized an army to protect their interests against the indigenous. This is the root of the army, to protect the children of the conquistadors against any protests from the indigenous. Since then there have been many problems in this country. The indigenous and the guerilla movements have mounted their own resistance. Every time they protest, there is a great massacre.
"There was a protest movement in 1932, under the leadership of Farabundo Marti. The president at that time, Maximilio Martinez, massacred thirty thousand campesinos. Some of the death squads of today carry his name. He assassinated people under the guise that they were communists. He started this way of thinking, that anyone who protests and demands justice is a communist.
"After the massacre, the leadership of the protest movement was exterminated. The unions were exterminated. What was left was great resentment on the part of the campesinos. Injustice grew so that in the 1970s it could be said that just fourteen families held the power in the country.
"It has always been difficult to maintain protest. Leaders rise up from the people but are assassinated. Instead of eliminating the poor conditions that cause the protests, the government eliminates the people. They never get at the roots of the social problems. They just keep killing people, so the situation gets worse. At the end of the 1970s the guerrillas organized to protest injustices. The movement began small; we never thought it would get big. It began with university students, some workers, some professionals. The protest movement was born in a place very fertile for growth. Now we have arrived at the point where the government cannot eliminate the guerrillas.
"There is a big problem here, and we are a very small country. There is a relationship between the existence of the army and the existence of the FMLN. In our church we have families who have members in both armies. This is an internal war; it is important to end this war. There has to be a political solution, not a military solution. The guerrillas have grown into a very strong force, operating in every part of the country. This force is well known by the people. In today's paper you can read interviews with some of the guerrillas. They are basically a whole army facing the army that we already had.
"The church is making an effort to push for a political solution to end this war. We as the church have put our work with the victims, with the poor. We have discovered that the conditions in the country promote a continuation of the war, not a solution. As a church, we have a two-part pastoral process. First, we want to realize projects of growth. We believe that to teach literacy is to work for peace. Promoting health projects, teaching people to help themselves, is the way that our church can work for peace. Second, we accompany people in their struggles and demands. For example, I feel very responsible to accompany people in their marches for peace. (This is a very courageous thing for him to say, for we are all acutely aware, as is he, that every time he participates in a public march, he is an easy target for assassins.)
"There are those who think that this is a political action. We think that it is a pastoral action to accompany our people. The church accompanies its people in their problems and in their protests and demands for justice. Our work has brought in several different reactions. This is part of being the church. From our work we receive spiritual blessings. I believe that we have grown quantitatively and qualitatively in our faith. This testimony on the part of the poor draws people to be a part of the work.
"I was surprised in an assembly we had recently to discover that the numbers in our church have doubled. For example, there were ten thousand earlier, but for this meeting there were twenty thousand. In the aspect of faith, we have rich experiences with readings from the Bible. As a pastor I have been surprised that hidden treasures of scripture have come forth. The messages of the word of God identify with the poor. These are strong messages coming out of our Bible reading. And a great testimony is coming out of our churches. They tell us how the children of God are accompanied by God. There are riches that I want to share with you coming out of all this. It's important that you realize the messages from the Bible coming from our work with the people. Your visiting with us shows the universality of the church.
"For example, in the United States you can realize that this message is universal, for everyone. We believe that as a church we have contributed in the movement toward negotiations to end the war. We were criticized at first for being subversive. But truth wins out, and at this point there is the realization that negotiations are appropriate and necessary. This gives us hope, for we see ourselves moving in the way that leads to peace. We need a national effort to move forward, and of course we need international pressure, especially from the United States. In the past the United States has sided only with the rich and has helped a lot in the promotion of the armed forces. It has created a big monster. Now it realizes that it can't just disassemble this monster. With the assassination of the Jesuits we realized the great horror under which we live. There is now more of a national desire for justice.
"There is a great screaming from the people, a move toward demilitarization. The people want to beat swords into plowshares.' It's risky these days to speak prophetically, to denounce injustice. It is a miracle that I have not been killed. We've been persecuted. (In 1983 he was captured and tortured.) Many brothers and sisters have had to leave the country. A great part of our church is separated, living in other parts of the world. We live with threats to our lives from the death squads.
"It is interesting that with all the threats and persecutions, the church only comes together more. In our church we have differences in small things, but in working for justice, we are together. There is an ecumenical spirit at work here, sharing the work. It has unified us in spirit. Together as churches we have enjoyed the blessing of the Spirit and together we have shared the persecutions."
At this point the Bishop pauses and asks if we have any questions. During his talk the delegates from another group, a sister parish organization led by Gary Cozette, had quietly entered the room and taken seats forming a second semi-circle around the Bishop. Many of the questions come from this second delegation.
Question: What do you see as the immediate future of El Salvador and of the church?
"I must confess that our situation is so negative and so difficult that objectively there appears to be no hope. But that is where Christian hope enters. It is not possible to maintain ourselves. God is working with us in the process of peace, and God will overcome in the end. God intervenes in the world, producing situations unforeseen, results not forecast by the experts.
"A short while ago I was in East Germany, and brought back a piece of the wall. One year ago no one would have believed that the wall would fall. Experts were making predictions, but God intervened. The Germans themselves remain astounded. It is amazing how God used the church; the vigils and the protests originated from the church. We think it is this way in our case. There are walls very difficult to break down. For example, there is the wall of the military. But I believe that this wall is falling. Little by little the world will realize that we don't need armies, we don't need weapons."
Question: Is the Lutheran Church divided as the Catholic Church is about the poor?
"Thanks to God, we are unified. Of course, we are small, so it is easier to be united. The Catholic Church is the largest church in El Salvador, so one finds all views within it."
Question: What will cause the government to be willing to reorganize the military?
"The theme of the armed forces is the central issue that has to be addressed to build a just society. There is no choice; the armed forces has to be addressed. The ideal is to eliminate the army entirely. But we need to enter a process to do this. I hope that the FMLN will accept and approve a gradual process. To end the armed forces entirely is very difficult. We need a set of interim goals to cut back to a minimum number. We have not yet found any solution here. The government needs to show that it is willing to begin true reform of the military system, to show that it is possible for civilian power to be over military power. For example, we should have a civilian as minister of defense."
Question: Do you believe that it is the army, the FMLN, or both, who are blocking reform and negotiations?
"In the United States is an organization called the Institute for Religion and Democracy. They have taken my words out of context and say that I am inclined to speak in favor of the FMLN. I am worried about this accusation, because this same group said that the Jesuits were moderates!
"I am not in favor of the FMLN, nor am I against them. I am against the army because it is they who bomb the church, who killed the Jesuits, who assassinated Romero. As a pastor I say that they must repent. As for the FMLN I interpret their position as a proposal. They come with a radical proposal. I am saying that I hope they will discuss and negotiate it. The guerrillas are not placing obstacles to the negotiations, but are putting this forth as a starting position."
Question: Do you see the National Debate as a major force?
"Yes, the National Debate is a social miracle. It has united various organizations from different ideologies in the search for peace. They have reached a consensus in the search for demilitarization. I have asked President Cristiani to permit the National Debate to participate in the negotiations, but Cristiani wouldn't hear me."
Question: Please talk more about the hidden messages in Scripture which are becoming apparent.
"I believe that theology has been in the hands of scholars, the rich. The poor have not participated in developing theological thought. Much of the human story has only been told by the rich, by those with resources. A very similar thing happened with women. Now women are more prepared and have a rich participation in the social sciences. This same process is coming to Latin America on the part of the poor. They are becoming subjects of history, not just objects. This is the testimony or witness of praxis, their testimony of God's presence in how we live. The poor are saying how God is with them - how they see God and evil incarnate, how God dominates evil, and how salvation is realized.
"There are lessons in the Bible about how to work. I want to write a book called Hidden Action of God. We pastors need to watch carefully so that evil does not destroy our work. I believe that when Jesus was born, there was not great publicity. Only the family and some campesinos knew about the birth. The whole thing was kept secret so that the child could grow up in safety. But there were some men who were well-intentioned but made a great error. They came to Jerusalem spreading news about the birth of the son of God. They brought all the scribes together and made a great inquiry, so that soon everyone knew. The Magi discovered their error, however. They did not return to the embassy but went straight back home.
"Exactly the same thing happened to us. When we formed Fe y Esperanza (a refugee camp supported by the Lutheran Church in El Salvador), people came to me thanking me for saving their lives. I told them to keep it secret so that they would not be persecuted. But people weren't quiet; they told others. Ever since then we have had misinterpretations about our work.
"In places where there is no suffering, people cannot really understand the Cross."
Bishop Gomez cannot stay for the meal which has been planned because he must rise early the next day to fly to the U.S. for speaking engagements. Before he leaves, he expresses his concern that his life is frequently in danger, and asks for our prayers and blessing. As he kneels on the floor before us, head bowed in anticipation, it takes us a moment to comprehend just what he is asking. Then, hesitatingly, one by one we go forward and place our hands on his head. Some speak a few words of blessing and encouragement; others are silent before this man who embodies such faith and humility. It is a sacred moment, a sharing of the priesthood of all believers.
This, then, is El Salvador - The Saviour - where priests are murdered as communists and bishops kneel for the blessing of the people, where feeding the poor is suspect and teaching them to organize to feed themselves is treasonous. We have walked for the past ten days on holy ground, have experienced life most vividly, have laughed and cried and opened our hearts to the people around us as they have opened their homes and their hearts and their lives to us. May we never forget what we have learned here. May we take from this experience the strength and determination to live with integrity, to walk with those of our sisters and brothers who most need our accompaniment, to pray – to fast – to come. Amen.
[Postscript: The next morning we made one final stop on the way to the airport, a visit that had become a tradition for departing PVC delegations. On the campus of the Hospital of Divine Providence Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero had made his home, and in its chapel, while saying mass for the Sisters who cared for the patients there, he was assassinated on March 24, 1980, by the Salvadoran military. His home was modest, just a few rooms for office, gathering, and sleeping. It has been preserved as it was when he lived, with the calendar still reading March 1980. In a case along one wall we see his blood-soaked robes.
From the house we walk to the chapel, where we quietly scatter to view the paintings on the walls, to approach the altar where Romero was gunned down, to find a pew where one can sit for a few minutes and pray. We are a solemn group that returns to the bus. There will be much to think about and process in the days and weeks ahead. The work continues.]
Copyright © 2022 Marian L. Shatto
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