Dossier: The Archbishop Romero Trust

What have Oscar Romero, CAFOD, and homosexual activists got in common?

'Justice and Peace' groups naturally see the Servant of God Archbishop Romero, perhaps soon to be beatified, as a hero for speaking out against government human-rights abuses. Unfortunately, they focus their own work on getting parishes to buy 'Fair Trade' products while our own goverment is forcing adoption agencies to give children to gay couples, allowing scientists to create human-animal hybrids, and promoting abortion for 12-year-olds.

But that is not enough. The Romero Trust, which has the laudible aim of promoting knowledge and awareness of the life and work of Archbishop Romero, is Chaired by Julian Filochowski, a former CAFOD director and civil partner of gay activist Martin Pendergast: an irony noted by Fr Tim Finnigan. The Mass celebrating their civil union caused a storm; a book edited by Filochowski in honour of the relationship is full of attacks on the Church: see here.

The use of Romero by these militant gay activists gives them opportunities for promoting the gay agenda through the activities of the Romero Trust. This might seem a difficult trick to pull off, but Martin Pendergast tells us himself that a Mass in honour of Romero in 2005 also marked World AIDS Day. Naturally, this is not a day dedicated to suggesting to 'active' homosexuals that they stop their immoral and self-destructive behaviour: it has been so completely taken over by the gay lobby that this year its theme was ending 'HIV prejudice'.

Another of Martin Pendergast's hobbies is the 'gay' Masses on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of each month in the church of Our Lady of the Assumption, Warwick Street: see our dossier on the RCCLGCM. Another dissident group in which he is involved, 'Catholics for AIDS Prevention and Support', is celebrating a 'World AIDS Mass' in this church on 30th November, and this is being promoted by the Diocese of Westminster's Justice and Peace Commission, through their e-bulletin, which also promotes World AIDS Day itself and an event of another dissident group, Pax Christi (their advent service 8th December).

So it's all very chummy. The presence of militant gay activists in the 'Justice and Peace' estblishment fits J&P's 'progressive' image, but hardly its Catholic identity.

What would the saintly Archbishop have thought? The Servant of God, Archbishop Oscar Romero of San Salvador, was well known for his opposition to Marxist-inspired liberation theology. He was assassinated for speaking out against the murders and other abuses being perpetrated by the Salvadorian Government and its allies, in 198o.

It was a highly confused situation. A basically left-wing government was fighting a civil war with Marxist terrorists supported by Cuba; far-right death squads, loosely controlled by elements in the government, were wreaking havoc at the same time. Jimmy Carter, the Democrat US President of the time, supported the government with military aid. Romero was killed by a member of a death-squad, after calling for President Carter to cease this aid. (See Wikipedia.)

The one thing one could comfortably predict about Romero, is that he would find the J&P establishment's idea of action for the worst off pretty unimpressive. Perhaps Filochowski and his friends regard him as a man to be admired, but not emulated. Or perhaps not even admired: just used.

Post scrip: We've had an email from Positive Catholics, aka Catholicss for AIDS Prevention and Support, the dissident homosexual group we write about here. It suggests that there is something innacurate about the post, but we can't see anything in the post which the email contradicts, except the exact dedication of the 2005 Mass we refer to. 

Here is the email. (Don't you love their apostrophe's?) :

My attention has been drawn to an item on your blog. The Mass did not mark Archbishop Romero’s murder, but coincided with both the 25th anniversary of the murder of 4 American religious women in El Salvador in 1980, and the annual commemoration of World AIDS Day. As such it was supported by a range of Catholic organisations, with the £250 collection being sent to the Contrasida AIDS project in San Salvador, directed by Maryknoll Sister, Dr. Mary Virginia Annel, who belonged to the same community as two of the murdered sisters.

It is regrettable that something which calls itself Catholic Action, allegedly committed to promoting truth, seems to rely on incorrect information, mistruth, and personal vendetta’s against fellow Catholics and organisations which it seeks to denigrate or undermine.

Vincent Manning
Chairperson – Catholics for AIDS Prevention & Support

We were relying on 'incorrect information'? Well, that would have to be Martin Pendergast's press release. As if it made any difference, Pendergst tells us, re this Mass: 2005 marks two significant 25th anniversaries in the martyrs' chronicle of the small Central American country of El Salvador. On 24 March 1980, Oscar Romero, Archbishop of San Salvador, was martyred as he celebrated Mass in the chapel of a cancer hospice. - the other being of the four religious women. Anyway, anyone could click on the link we gave to see the full press release.