The church later canonized Romero. People call him a saint now. But at the acme of his prophetic posture in El Salvador, the church itself not only did little to protect or save him but also questioned his support of troublemakers as they defied a repressive government. Prophets can be so irritating. Dostoyevsky is clear about the way the world absorbs them. He wrote, “People reject their prophets and slay them but they love their martyrs.” Once the troublemaker is silenced, the public can afford to revere their now tamed selves.
