Salvadoran Archbishops Óscar Romero, often referred to as a "champion of the poor" for his dedication to the rights of the oppressed, will be made a Roman Catholic saint.
According to Vatican News, Pope Francis signed a decree confirming miracles attributed to the intercession of several sainthood causes, including Romero and Pope Paul VI, in a March 6 meeting with Cardinal Angel Amato, Prefect of the Congregation.
The announcement follows past pushback by previous conservative popes who disapproved of Romero's leftist political views and liberation theology.
Romero was fatally shot by right-wing death squards while celebrating Mass in a hospital chapel in San Salvador on March 24, 1980. The Salvadoran military dictatorship had fiercely objected to his stance against the repression of the poor by the army at the beginning of the Salvadoran civil war that claimed more than 75,000 lives from 1980-1992.
In 2015, Pope Francis ratified the martyrdom of Romero for being killed in "hatred of the faith," and was beatified, or declared "blessed" by the church.
“Romero loved to say that the Second Vatican Council asked all Christians to be martyrs today, that is, to live giving your life for others, not for yourself," Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, the postulator for Romero’s cause, said, according to Washington Post.
Though no date was announced for the sainthood ceremony, it is expected to take place this year.
Reuters reporting contributed to this story.
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