Bishops of El Salvador ask Pope Leo XIV to proclaim Saint Óscar Romero a Doctor of the Church

The Episcopal Conference of El Salvador has asked Pope Leo XIV to proclaim Saint Óscar Arnulfo Romero a doctor of the Church. During an audience on Sept. 11, the Salvadoran bishops also invited the pope to visit El Salvador to pray at the tomb of the martyred archbishop.

The requests were made during an ad limina visit to Rome from Sept. 7 to 11. Archbishop José Luis Escobar Alas, president of the Episcopal Conference of El Salvador and archbishop of San Salvador, said the pope received the proposals with a positive and welcoming attitude. However, Escobar Alas noted that both decisions require a process of consultation and discernment before a final response is given.

During the meeting, the bishops presented the pope with a first-class relic of Saint Romero. The pope expressed a personal devotion to the saint, noting that he previously carried a holy card of Romero and a third-class relic, seeking the martyred archbishop's intercession daily.

Saint Romero was assassinated on March 24, 1980, while celebrating Mass at Divine Providence Hospital in San Salvador. He was canonized by Pope Francis on Oct. 14, 2018.