MONSIGNOR ARNULFO ROMERO

That this House notes that 24th March 2005 marks the 25th anniversary of the murder of Archbishop of San Salvador, Monsignor Arnulfo Romero, who was assassinated whilst saying mass at the Church of the Divine Providence; recognises that Monsignor Romero was an outspoken critic of the then repressive Salvadorian military regime and of the huge economic injustices that existed and continue to exist; recalls that this House supported the nomination of Monsignor Romero as a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1978 for his defence of human rights and that just five weeks before his death he had expressed opposition to military aid given by the US Government to the military regime; regrets that, following the death of Monsignor Romero, the civil war in El Salvador escalated and left an estimated 75,000 dead; further regrets that those responsible for the massive human rights violations have not been brought to justice; and applauds the fact that his life is remembered in a statue outside Westminster Abbey.