Romero and McAleese: Rebels on right side of history

On Wednesday the Vatican announced that five people — four men and one woman — having been credited with the requisite number of miracles, are to be canonised. One is Pope Paul VI and another is the murdered archbishop of San Salvador Oscar Romero, who was shot by a right-wing death squad sniper while celebrating a hospital Mass in March, 1980.

Recapturing the past is a necessity for so many organisations, religious and/or political if they are to rebrand themselves to satisfy contemporary needs. Despite that, the contrast between how the Catholic Church regards Romero today and the Church criticism levelled at him while he was alive is startling. That continues to this day and drove the