Waubonsee Community College

Be a patriot, kill a priest, written and directed by Sante Altizio

eng

videorecording

For College; Adult audiences

Be a patriot, kill a priest

electronic resource

747796220

written and directed by Sante Altizio

64

The war in El Salvador was the most cruel and bloody Latin America has ever seen. During that time of turmoil Latin American bishops created the famous preferential option for the poor, demanding justice, food and education in the name of the gospel. As campesinos, students, and reformists defied the military government, the Jesuits, as spokemen of the poor, were ordered to leave the country. The Jesuits refused to leave, and many clergy were murdered. Using interviews and old footage, the film follows the civil war and the role of the Church in it. In 1977, after the murder of Father Rutilio Grande, the Archbishop Oscar Romero took a strong anti government position, broadcasting sermons over Radio Luz demanding that the government stop the repression. He could not understand why he was thought to be a follower of Karl Marx, when he knew "he followed only Jesus Christ." Father Romero was killed by a single shot while delivering a sermon. Today, he is looked upon as a saint in El Salvador. An inspiring film about people of faith who stood up against injustice

general