Romero's beatification cause was 'unblocked' by two popes

The auxiliary bishop of San Salvador has revealed that Benedict XVI had decided to unblock the canonisation cause of Archbishop Oscar Romero before Francis did, reports Vatican Insider.

In an interview with a Portuguese magazine, Mgr Gregorio Chávez, said Benedict XVI had already “unblocked” the beatificaton process in a conversation with the Postulator of the Cause. Msgr Vincenzo Paglia.

The Postulator also announced that Pope Francis had asked him to unblock the process.

In the interview, Mgr Chávez also revealed that during a meeting of Latin American bishops in 2007, one Salvadorian priest asked cardinal Bergoglio what he thought of Romero and his answer was: “To me he is a saint and a martyr; if I were Pope I would have already canonised him.”

On the flight to the Brazilian cities of Sao Paulo and Aparecida in 2007 Benedict XVI did talk about Romero in a question-and-answer session with journalists. 

There are two versions of Benedict XVI’s reply: the one he really gave, which is recorded on the dictaphones of the 70 reporters who were on the papal flight and an edited version of his reply which was published on the Holy See bulletin.