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.
Sunday, 20 October 1991 7:30 PM The Guest House
Bishop Medardo Gomez has joined our delegation for our final evening meal in El Salvador – pizza, soda, beer, and ice cream. There is laughing and joking around the table, and I wonder a bit at the ease with which we continue with ordinary conversation in the presence of this great man. Then suddenly he is addressing our gathering, and light-hearted banter turns to serious attentiveness, all eyes fixed on the head of the table. There is a scramble for notebooks and pens as we realize that what we are hearing is no longer social chatter, but rather a significant discourse, important for all of us to remember in the days and months to come.
"Even though I have seen you before, and said this before, let me say my greetings. I am glad to have you here, especially at the service this evening. As I look around, I see some familiar faces, and this is good.
"The times in which we live right now are very historical. We're at a very historic moment because the war is coming to an end and we are able to construct peace. We are very optimistic.
"In five hundred years of history, this is the first time that we have had a chance to live in real justice. We come from a long history of injustice, with this so-called 'discovery.’ For it was not a discovery. It was a pillage, an invasion, an intervention. We were rich. These people weren't always poor. It was a fact that the princes of the indigenous lived in great splendor. Indigenous people lived in a system that was social, with things held in common. They didn't know private property.
"If we could build again what was built by the indigenous, how beautiful it would be! The conquest came and destroyed all that was beautiful. It took away all the riches. They turned the indigenous into slaves, and also took away the land. Cuscatlan, which is the indigenous name for El Salvador, means land of riches. Specifically, it means land of precious stones. The people called themselves Cuscatlanos, the rich. But we aren't rich now. All the riches here went to Europe.
"For this reason there has been a great reaction among the indigenous. They have begun to write their own story. Before, it was the rich who wrote the story.
"When I was a little kid, they always told us beautiful stories about Christopher Columbus. He was presented as a great hero, giving of himself. Now the poor are doing investigations as well as the historians. They have found letters where he said that indigenous lives were not important. He made the indigenous submit. What he was interested in was only gold.
"In these letters which have been discovered, it is very clear that he was expressing ambition and a desire for gold. From that point on they began to write the story of oppression, of the violation of human rights. Ever since that time the people have been locked in a struggle against oppression.
"God has given us a divine gift of resistance, which can be perceived in various forms. One has been the spirit of struggle; the patience to bear everything. In patience we have hope. Every generation has had the hope that their children would live in better conditions. Hope was always maintained for a better tomorrow.
"Another form of resistance has been the unity of the people. You can see in the community that you visited the signs of unity, of organization. Perhaps for the reason that there has been great suffering, there has been a great tendency toward organization. In all of Central America, this country has the greater organization, greater unity. The popular movement is something that you don't see in Nicaragua, Honduras, or Costa Rica. Here, even among the unemployed they have their own organization.
"Another way that God has helped us is through leadership. Throughout our history God has helped to form honest and active leadership, men and women giving their lives to co-create a better tomorrow. Here in El Salvador we have a long list of martyrs, men and women who have given their lives. You can see that the role played by men and by women has been equal. The popular movement has its martyrs just as the church has martyrs. Unfortunately, we usually only hear about clergy, but there are also lay people who have suffered greatly.
"In that list are not only native Salvadorans but also internationals who have given their lives. A number from Europe and the United States came and gave their lives in solidarity. All of this is part of God's gift. Another form is solidarity, both national and international. International solidarity plays a very important role here. For us the hand of God has been seen very clearly; solidarity has meant life. It's been the gift given by God, this help given to us to pass through a difficult situation.
"The road for the search for a better tomorrow has been a very long road. The Biblical story was one of four hundred years (in captivity in Egypt). We already have five hundred years. In this five hundred years we have seen the strength necessary as expressed through the Lord – unity, leadership, and solidarity. In this Exodus we have walked together in search for what we call the promised land.
"On this road there has been a time when the church was not faithful in accompanying the poor. It is possible that here in El Salvador we are at the point of arriving at the golden dream. The churches have answered the call to accompany the poor. We are close to creating an example for the rest of the world. We can say yes, the churches do serve to create a more just life, and we can demonstrate the role that the church has played.
"In the stage that we are entering, in the resistance which has been manifested, we must fortify for the next stage, for the construction of peace. We need this peace so that dreams can be accomplished.
"I use this metaphor: the child who is awaited announces his coming. We need to protect this child so that he can truly be born. There is a chance that he could be aborted. We need to strengthen him. In this stage we will need a lot of your solidarity. We need your support and action, especially for you to talk with your Senators and Congresspeople. This is needed so that the child can be born strong and healthy.
"We feel happy and proud that the church has not been mistaken in taking up the call to be with the people. Our actions have caused us a lot of problems, so that we suffer as on the cross. We are also happy to say that we have been blessed by some people who have suffered so much. It is enough to talk to people who have suffered to understand the message of God.
"I have always maintained that within Scriptures there are hidden messages which come out by means of the suffering that people face. It's been the experience of our church that the theology which we promote comes out of the experience of the people. The people have produced our theology; it is not made by theologians. The theology made here in El Salvador cannot be made by theologians but must come out of the people. The churches must take the faith of the people, systematize it, and bring it back to the people. This is not a product of theologians, but is a product of the people.
"This is what I call the new model of pastoral work. It is something being born during the process of all these years. It is not exclusive to El Salvador, but is a product of Latin America, of all of the Third World. The Spirit of God is manifested in the poor. I call this the theology of life. It does not discriminate against the rich. We feel that both rich and poor are products of an unjust system. As such, there are poor people who are so alienated as to have the mentality of the rich. And among the rich there is a mentality which is liberated, which should be of the poor. To be rich is to be dominating, proud, oppressive. To be poor is to be reconciling, concerned about justice and life.
"Enrique Cordoza is an example of the poor among the rich. He divided his own land and proposed the first land reform system. Then he left his position in the government because his idea was rejected. He became a leader of the popular movement. Every leader in that movement was assassinated.
"Monsignor Romero was another example. Many people think that we bishops are not poor. We are located in a system which has been oppressive, and many bishops are in fact not poor. But Monsignor Romero was always ready to give, even to giving his life.
"Among the poor also were the Jesuit fathers. In the theology of life, one element is that we have enough to live. We don't want to turn poverty into an idolatry. We want to abolish poverty, so that everyone has enough.
"You cannot say (within your own society) that you are rich, but compared to us you are rich. We are in a system which defines people this way. But as we belong to this people of God, we are aware of the commitment to the people who suffer. This defines us as poor. I prefer to look at 'the poor' as the concept of a person who is willing to give the best of self, to share."
At this point he introduces to us Pastor Rachel who is originally from Puerto Rico and is now living in Costa Rica. He then indicates that he will answer questions from the delegation.
Question: If peace comes, what do you see as the role of the churches?
"The churches have an important role to play in regard to reconciliation. We can't truly reconcile if we don't eliminate the conditions of injustice. We have to help our people eliminate these injustices and embark on reconstruction.
"So after arriving at a solution of these most difficult problems, we will be much freer in our struggle. We will need a lot of prayer. We're going to need a lot of devotional acts, because we need to gain a sense of pardon, and this will be very difficult in the situation in which we have been living. It may be simple for pastors to go out and preach reconciliation, but it is not so easy for people who have suffered so long to internalize the idea of pardon. I give you the example of an old woman who lost seven sons. She said to me, 'God pardon me, but I cannot pardon.'
"The act of being in solidarity makes it very difficult to pardon. Without the power of God, it would be impossible for pardon to happen. This is a power that only the church has.
"It is important to work on the level of reconstruction, but also on reconciliation. We have to strengthen the churches, and to train our leaders better. We are concerned about providing trained leadership for the bases which have grown. We don't have the capacity to deal with the demands of the people who have come in contact with me.
"For me as bishop, the growth of the (Lutheran) church no longer makes me happy. It concerns me instead. We can't attend to all the people, and it makes me ashamed that we can't. Campesinos call for us to serve them, but we don't have the means. We are lacking pastors and tools, the resources to carry out the work.
"So in this period we want to accomplish reconciliation, both construction and reconstruction.
"Something is always surprising to me, that we can relate Bible stories to what is actually happening. It is true that in the Bible we have the exact norm of faith. And based on faith we continue to write the Bible. Here in El Salvador we are writing the Bible, the testimonies of life. It is very beautiful, the scriptures of these times, and you yourselves are in it because you have responded. I believe that your being here is not coincidence. God has brought you. It is an act of God, though sometimes it is hard to believe that it is God who brings us.
"I believe that all these things are a manifestation of the hand of God. Only in practice can we see what it means to be the family of God, the family of faith. Despite all of our differences, our different cultures, God brings us together and allows us to understand each other."
Question: What is of most concern to you, and what are the worst obstacles in the peace process?
"As God has given us resistance, perhaps bad forces give you resistance. In resistance have been arms, and the power of the military. Military power has come about to protect the rich and powerful, and to oppress the poor. Remember that the prophecy of the Bible calls us forward to fight for demilitarization. It is not just for us here in El Salvador, but for you also. For you the calling of God is most strong, because today the country with the most military strength is precisely the United States. Russia has fallen behind.
"Part of the prophecy of the Bible says that there will come a time when nations will not launch themselves against each other. Swords will be beaten into plowshares, and spears into pruning hooks. This is the proposal of the popular movement. It is not just the idea of any political party, but is the call of God to create justice. If we as Christians won't do it, who will? A majority of Christians don't like to commit ourselves. The cross makes us fearful. But remember that with the cross comes resurrection. As we try to escape from the cross, we are moving away from construction of the kingdom of heaven.
"It is to be hoped that from this country the lesson can be learned, that we can reach out to the great powers to show them the way. It might be naive to think that all we need is a small security force, but we don't need this large machine of war. The United Nations could establish laws and we could submit ourselves to those laws."
Question: In reference to the International Conference of Lutherans which you just hosted here in San Salvador, what was its greatest impact?
"On the part of the conference itself, I can say with pride that we not only fulfilled our objectives but went beyond them. We went so far beyond that there were so many demands made on people, we simply couldn't comply with all of these demands. There were some popular groups there who felt offended because we couldn't attend more to them.
"We tried to focus on where we are in this stage of transition. We raised concerns about the church and the role of the popular movement. We had the sympathy during the conference of the means of communication which are considered to be more liberal. The extreme right published nothing at all about the conference, but on the other hand, Diario Latino is publishing my whole discourse in segments. Diario Latino has given a whole page per day all week to the conference, and is now going into the second week. This shows the spaces that the church has gained in the means of communication. Before this, they said that the Word of God didn't concern them, but now they are showing an interest in the churches.
Question: What shall we tell Congress when they say that things are going well in El Salvador?
"First I would like to say that you can and do have power. You don't know that you have it. It is power from God. With the act of solidarity that you do is the power of the Spirit. With this power you can go and defend the people of God. You must play the role of Moses, and say to Pharaoh, 'Let my people go.’ It always surprises me, sometimes delegations come down here and they speak with great power. God will give us the appropriate words. He will illuminate the path. This corresponds to the role of Christians, to what we are called to do. One thing you can do is to say that we want to create the conditions for people to live justly.
"There is something concrete which you can do. One U.S. missionary is threatened with expulsion because his residency visa has not been renewed. We haven't wanted to create pressure here. The best thing is to have international political pressure. Go to Congresspeople and Senators to put pressure on Cristiani and on the U.S. Embassy to extend the visa of the Rev. Dan Long.
"They say that he participated in political activities in Texas. He says that this is true. He has always participated in demonstrations. He maintains that in his country, a country which is democratic, he has a right to do this. Here he works for the church; he does what we ask. I have good counsel from him and would miss him. This is not just for him, but also because we must stop their taking missionaries away from us. This is happening because the church has contributed to the fall of the wall of privilege of the rich and powerful."
Question: Will you tell us about the press conference which took place earlier this evening in your church?
"This is part of our commitment to the people. They look to us to be their voice. It makes me fearful to defend them, but when the situation confronts me, it is my responsibility as a pastor to defend the people.
"Let me tell you a story. A missionary couple came here. They asked what to do in a certain case – a girl had been raped and beaten, and they (the military, which is always the indefinite 'they') were looking for her to kill her. Apparently she had been a guerilla. The couple asked me if they should help her. I told them, 'I can't tell you yes or no, what to do.'
"They left sad. Later I asked the husband of the couple, 'What did you do?' He responded, 'I couldn't let them kill her; I had to help her.' When the woman was in their house, he thought that he had an angel in the house. It was a conversion for him. This is something that as pastors we cannot escape, to give support to the people. This is something that you have to come here to see.
"I thank you very much for being there, especially tonight. The women were very pleased that there was more than one thousand colones ($125.00 in 1991 currency) in the collection to help their cause.
"The song of Anna in the Old Testament and of Mary in the New Testament is being accomplished today.”
[Postscript:] We rose the next morning, packed our things, and left for the airport. As had become the custom for each departing delegation, we stopped on the way at Divina Providencia Hospital, where we visited Romero’s home and the chapel where he had been assassinated while saying mass. By the time we arrived in Washington, D.C., it was already late evening. We stayed as a group overnight at the Carmelite Center, spent some morning time in reflection, then departed for our respective homes.
The pending Peace Accords were signed in early 1992. In October of that year, our delegation found a very different situation than we had during previous trips. There was great hope for the future and significant activity around building new structures for society. It was an exhilarating time of potential. In adapting to the new reality Project Via Crucis shifted our emphasis from visiting organizations and advocacy for a peace settlement to building a strong “sister parish” relationship with the congregations of San Miguel. We moved the dates of our annual visits from October to January in order to include Gettysburg Seminary students who wanted to visit El Salvador as their cross-cultural experience.
Project Via Crucis continued to send delegations through 2004 and to raise funds for scholarships and Sister Parish support for several years after that. The loss of key supporters due to death and relocation, along with diminished interest from church members and seminary students, curtailed on-going activities. Following a period of careful discussion and discernment, the remaining board members in 2011 authorized closing of the corporation and transfer of remaining assets to a local congregation which maintained an active Sister Parish ministry. Corporate dissolution was finalized in August 2012. “To everything there is a season,” and for the season of its existence Project Via Crucis answered a call for help, strove to do good ministry, and in the process touched and altered lives both in El Salvador and here in Pennsylvania.
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