In a canonization mass Saturday, Pope Francis elevated seven to the status of saints. Foremost among those celebrated is Oscar Romero, the Archbishop of San Salvador who was murdered while celebrating mass on March 24 1980. No one was ever convicted for the crime, though a UN sponsored truth and reconciliation process concluded it was done on the orders of right wing politicians opposed to Romero.
In his homily, the pope asked
“…is Jesus enough for us or do we look for many worldly securities? Let us ask for the grace always to leave things behind for love of the Lord: to leave behind wealth, the yearning for status and power, structures that are no longer adequate for proclaiming the Gospel, those weights that slow down our mission, the strings that tie us to the world.”
He also quoted from Pope Paul VI (who was also canonized);
“Pope Saint Paul VI wrote: “It is indeed in the midst of their distress that our fellow men need to know joy, to hear its song” (Gaudete in Domino, I). Today Jesus invites us to return to the source of joy, which is the encounter with him, the courageous choice to risk everything to follow him, the satisfaction of leaving something behind in order to embrace his way. The saints have travelled this path.”
Those canonized today were Pope Paul VI,Archbishop Oscar Romero, Francesco Spinelli, Vincenzo Romano, Maria Caterina Kasper, Nazaria Ignazia of Saint Teresa of Jesus, and Nunzio Sulprizio.