by Alver Metalli
Who was Archbishop Rivera Damas?
He was archbishop of San Salvador, first successor of Archbishop Romero after his assassination on March 24, 1980. Arturo Rivera y Damas was born in San Esteban Catarina on 30 September 1923, son of Joaquín Rivera and Doña Ester Damas de Rivera.
He was a prudent man who led the Church of San Salvador in the difficult years of the armed conflict, in all its phases. [...] He deserves a posthumous Nobel Peace Prize. He mediated in the exchange of people captured by security forces and the army, and saved lives by securing the release of people captured by guerrillas. [...] He worked for peace at a very difficult time, seeking rapprochement between the different factions of an unjust society and engaging in concrete actions for this goal. When peace agreements were signed on 16 January 1992, he promoted reconciliation programmes for a deeply wounded society.
You did not mention that he was a Salesian ...
He was ordained a priest as a Salesian on 19 September 1953 and he lived the Salesian spirit fully. After studying Canon Law, he was appointed as auxiliary to Archbishop Luis Chávez González of San Salvador in 1960 and was given responsibility for social ministry in the Archdiocese.
He was also auxiliary to Archbishop Romero ...
For seven months, during which time they shared a close friendship. When the Bishops' Conference of El Salvador attacked Archbishop Romero in the 1980s, Archbishop Rivera Damas defended him like a brother. He identified with Romero’s charism and understood that it was necessary to live the episcopal office in the style of Jesus and to care for the needs of a people seeking freedom of expression, dignity and social justice. It should not be forgotten that in the final years of his ministry, Rivera Damas pushed for Romero's canonization, for he considered him a true martyr.
Source: Terre d’America
