It always seems odd to me to use the word "anniversary" to refer to a sorrowful event. I am so used to hearing the word to refer to the celebration of marriages or ordinations or birthdays, events that are joyful. This week marks two sorrowful anniversaries of which we should be mindful. The first would be hard to miss with all of the discussion in the media of the fourth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq on March 19th. The second is the 27th anniversary of the assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero on March 24th. Both should remind us to continually pray for peace.

The Catholic Church was adamantly opposed to the invasion of Iraq four years ago. We cannot, however, turn back the hands of time and undo what has been done. In his statement "Towards a Responsible Transition in Iraq," written over a year ago for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Bishop Wenski stated:

Our nation cannot afford a shrill and shallow debate that distorts reality and reduces the options to “cut and run” versus “stay the course.” Instead we need a forthright discussion that begins with an honest assessment of the situation in Iraq and acknowledges both the mistakes that have been made and the signs of hope that have appeared. Most importantly, an honest assessment of our moral responsibilities toward Iraq should commit our nation to a policy of responsible transition.

In January of this year, in the statement "Evaluating Plans for a Responsible Transition in Iraq," Bishop Skyland wrote:

Each course of action, including current policies, ought to be evaluated in light of our nation’s moral responsibility to help Iraqis to live with security and dignity in the aftermath of U.S. military action. Our nation’s military forces should remain in Iraq only as long as their presence actually contributes to a responsible transition. Our nation should seek effective ways to end their deployment at the earliest opportunity consistent with this goal. The Holy See and our bishops’ Conference expressed grave moral concerns about military intervention in Iraq and the unpredictable and uncontrollable negative consequences of invasion and occupation. In light of current realities, the Holy See and our Conference support broader regional and international engagement to increase security, stability and reconstruction in Iraq. . . . At this critical juncture as our nation seeks a new way forward in Iraq, our leaders have a moral obligation to examine where things genuinely stand in pursuing justice and peace in Iraq, to assess what is actually achievable there, and to evaluate the moral and human consequences of alternative courses of action and whether they truly contribute to a responsible transition. At this difficult moment, let us pray for our nation, for the people of Iraq and for all those who bear the responsibility and burden of these difficult choices. We ask God for courage, humility and wisdom as we seek a path to a responsible transition in Iraq.

There is no easy solution to the problem of Iraq. For more information on the bishops concerns and suggestions, see the "Questions and Answers on the War in Iraq," they published in February.

The second sorrowful anniversary is the assassination of Oscar Romero, the Archbishop of San Salvador. When Romero was selected to be Archbishop, nobody thought his impact would be very great. He was labeled a "conservative" and was predicted to be a person who would maintain the status quo. The two previous years he had spent as bishop of a poor rural district in El Salvador had made an impact on him, however, as he encountered the desperate poverty of his people and the unjust wages and working conditions that were a part of their daily lives (see James Brockman's article in Spirituality Today). Archbishop Romero was further affected by the assassination of a Jesuit priest weeks after he became Archbishop. Over the next three years five more priests and numerous catechists and church leaders were assassinated. Romero went to the Pope John Paul II with seven dossiers documenting the violence that was being perpetrated on his people, he went to Pres. Carter to ask the US to stop funding the El Salvadoran military that was behind the slaughter of his people, but in the end, he was not able to get anyone to listen and even his fellow El Salvadoran bishops turned their backs on him.

Romero was undeterred. He encouraged his people by preaching the Word of God each week, his homilies being broadcast across the nation by the archdiocesan radio station. His homilies would last more than an hour, and he

began to incorporate a report and commentary on the past week's events into his homily on the scripture readings of the mass. "We can not segregate God's word from the historical reality in which it is proclaimed," he said. "That would not be God's word . . . .It is God's word because it enlightens, contrasts with, repudiates, or praises what is going on today in this society." The people themselves, he told them, must learn from his example to apply God's word to their own lives, just as he was trying to apply it to the life of the nation and of their church. (Brockman)

He preached that if they kill all of the priests, each of the people must become God's microphone, must become a prophet. He said, "I do not believe in death without resurrection. If they kill me, I will be resurrected in the Salvadoran people." Days before he was killed, he said,

You can tell the people that if they succeed in killing me, that I forgive and bless those who do it. Hopefully, they will realize they are wasting their time. A bishop will die, but the church of God, which is the people, will never perish.

He challenged the army to stop the repression, to stop killing their fellow citizens, stating, "No soldier is obliged to obey an order that is contrary to the will of God." The next day he was killed. On March 24th, 1980, Archbishop Oscar Romero was shot in the heart while celebrating the mass. In his final homily, moments before he was killed, Archbishop Romero challenged all of us, saying:

One must not love oneself so much, as to avoid getting involved in the risks of life that history demands of us, and those that fend off danger will lose their lives.

To read more of Archbishop Romero's words, see the collection of his homilies, The Violence of Love.