By Sr. Margaret Snyder
From Nov. 28 to Dec. 5, 2015, I was blessed to join a
delegation of 117 who traveled to El Salvador for the 35th anniversary of the
murder of four U.S. missionaries who were assassinated by the Salvadoran military
for their advocacy on behalf of refugees and the poor. The delegation was sponsored by LCWR and
SHARE, an organization that supports human rights, sustainable community
development and civic participation in El Salvador. On our journey we visited several groups of
women and youth who have been empowered through SHARE’s programs of leadership
development and education.
On Dec. 2 we were at the parish church built on the site of
the death of the four church women. One
of the petitions during the Mass captured the sense of accompaniment and hope
for the future that marked every step of our journey: “O God, we lift our voices and we pray for
the Salvadoran people, above all for the poor.
May God accompany them in their struggle to form a society based on
justice for every person. We pray for
the people of this parish, a place sanctified with the blood of the martyrs,
that God continue walking among them sowing seeds of faith and hope.” As we listened to family members and
Salvadorans tell of the lives of the four, I couldn’t help but think of our
call to make God’s love visible, which is exactly what these four women did!
The women were considered an obstacle to the “scorched
earth” campaign, supported by the US by sending arms and ammunition to eradicate
“communists”. They were protecting the
villagers by scurrying them away to safer areas; they were bringing in food,
medicine and clothing; and they were systematically tracking the abductions and
disappearances for the Catholic Church’s Legal Defense Office.
The Monument to Truth and Memory in San Salvador lists the
names of more than 30,000 victims of El Salvador’s civil war, including
Archbishop Romero and the four church women. The dedication reads: “This memorial is a gathering place, so that
we never forget them, to honor their memory, to return to them dignity, to not
permit the horror to be repeated and to lay the basis for a culture of peace
and authentic reconciliation. A space
for hope, to continue dreaming and building a more just, humane and equitable
society”. Several Salvadoran mothers
joined us and told about their family members who are among the
disappeared. As I walked along the wall,
I noticed surnames that were the same as the Salvadorans I have met in ministry
in El Paso and at El Puente. It was
heart wrenching! I now understand better
why the folks I have become acquainted with had to leave El Salvador and why
they could never really talk about the atrocities their families
experienced. It also made me think about
the women and children being held in our detention centers in Texas. They, too, have their stories and their
reasons for leaving home!
After 35 years, justice continues to be sought for the
murders of the four churchwomen and thousands of Salvadorans. At a press conference, our delegation called
for an investigation of General Carlos Eugenio Vides Casanova who led the
Salvadoran National Guard (which committed horrific assassinations) but has
never been held criminally accountable for his crimes against humanity. The Prosecutor’s Office for the Defense of
Human Rights joined us in calling for the Attorney General of El Salvador to
fulfill his obligation to open an investigation and in doing so eliminate any
impunity in regards to the case.
Relevant authorities need to be given access to the corresponding files
to uncover the truth in these grave violations of human rights as a vital step
toward ending the culture of violence and impunity that plagues El Salvador to
this day.
We visited CIETTA/CONFRAS, the organic farming research
center and nursery cooperative and national center for agrarian reform. After enjoying a meal that was prepared with
organic, sustainable ingredients, the learned of how the cooperative is trying
to prevent Monsanto from flooding El Salvador’s market with its
chemical-dependent seeds which have to be purchased every year. Farmers in El Salvador are pushing for the
passage of food sovereignty regulations that would protect local producers from
being overrun by imported goods and make transparent the origins of products on
the market. They have grave concerns
about the fact that 18.9% of children in El Salvador under the age of 5 are
malnourished.
Our last day in El Salvador was spent in San Jose Las Flores
and San Jose de San Antonio. The residents of these two villages were forced to
flee to refugee camps in Honduras during the war years. After the 1992 Peace Accords, they were able
to return home and had to start all over.
They had learned to work together as refugees and now have great pride
in the rebuilding they have accomplished as a community. Each family has been granted a piece of land
and the government supplies seed and fertilizers. As one delegate said, “the smell of hope
filters through the dusty streets.”
When we returned to our hotel, I found family members of
Salvadorans in Missouri waiting for me. Instead of attending the delegation’s dinner and despedida, I went with
this family to enjoy wonderful pupusas with them and to visit in their
home. We took many photos to send back
to Antonio and Francisco who for over 15 years have been separated from their
families in their effort to fulfill the responsibility of supporting their
wives and children.
There is so much more to remember, to think about and to reflect
upon! This trip was the fulfillment of a
dream of mine to go to El Salvador. I’ve
had this dream since the assassinations of Archbishop Romero and Maura, Ita,
Dorothy and Carla. I will forever be
grateful for this opportunity!
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