Beatification of 'voice of the voiceless' Romero draws hundreds of thousands in El Salvador
Thousands gathered in San Salvador on Saturday to attend an open-air mass celebrating the beatification of Archbishop Oscar Romero, whose defense of the poor and oppressed divided both his home country of El Salvador and the Catholic Church.
Officials expected the crowd to swell to up to 280,000, while four presidents, six cardinals and more than one hundred bishops also came to pay their respects to the "Voice of the Voiceless."
In a written statement, Pope Francis praised Romero as one of "the best children of the church" for the way he supported "the poorest and most marginalized" in society.
US President Barack Obama also hailed Romero's beatification, calling him an inspiration and a martyr who "persevered in the fact of opposition from extremes on both sides. He fearlessly confronted the evils he saw, guided by the needs of his beloved pueblo, the poor and oppressed people of El Salvador."
More:
http://www.dw.de/beatification-of-voice-of-the-voiceless-romero-draws-hundreds-of-thousands-in-el-salvador/a-18472382