Octavio Ortiz
Encyclopedia
Fr. Octavio Ortiz Luna was a Roman Catholic priest in El Salvador
who was assassinated on January 20, 1979. He served under Archbishop Óscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdámez
. His murder was characterized by Romero as part of a systematic persecution of the Catholic Church and oppression against efforts to reform a military dictatorship there to guaranty human rights for the poor masses.
, in the northeastern Salvadoran province of Morazán
. Fr. Ortiz was born to peasant parents, Alejandro Ortíz and Exaltación de la Cruz Luna. The Ortíz-Lunas lost four other children, in addition to Octavio, to the bloodshed of the Salvadoran Civil War.
Fr. Ortiz prepared for the priesthood at the San Salvador
's Seminario San José de la Montaña. He was ordained a priest by Msgr. Romero
. Fr. Ortiz was Romero's first priestly ordination. Thereafter, Fr. Ortiz was sent to minister to the parish of El Despertar in the San Salvador
neighborhood of Mejicanos
.
Fr. Ortiz took a special interest in young workers, whom he offered spiritual retreats and seminars. Apparently, Ortiz had been leading such a retreat the night before his assassination. At dawn on January 20, 1979, government troops burst into the retreat center, killed Fr. Ortiz and four youths, and arrested the rest. The government would claim that the retreat center was a guerrilla base. Archbishop Romero called the allegations "lies." It is suspected that the government placed the bodies in positions that would support the official version of events. The assassination has never been investigated. In a final insult, Fr. Ortiz' head was repeatedly run over by a military vehicle so that the priest could not have an open casket funeral. Romero would later say that Ortíz "gave his face to Jesus."
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
who was assassinated on January 20, 1979. He served under Archbishop Óscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdámez
Óscar Romero
Óscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdámez was a bishop of the Catholic Church in El Salvador. He became the fourth Archbishop of San Salvador, succeeding Luis Chávez. He was assassinated on 24 March 1980....
. His murder was characterized by Romero as part of a systematic persecution of the Catholic Church and oppression against efforts to reform a military dictatorship there to guaranty human rights for the poor masses.
Biography
Fr. Ortiz was born on March 22, 1944 in a town called Agua Blanca in the Municipality of CacaoperaCacaopera
Cacaopera is a municipality in the Morazán department of El Salvador.According to UNESCO:The community of Cacaopera is the sole surviving representative of an otherwise vanished ethnic group, variously referred to as Ulua, Matagalpa, or Cacaopera...
, in the northeastern Salvadoran province of Morazán
Morazán Department
Morazán is a department of El Salvador. Located in the northeast part of the country, its capital is San Francisco Gotera. It covers a total surface area of 1,447 km² and has a population of more than 200,000.-History:...
. Fr. Ortiz was born to peasant parents, Alejandro Ortíz and Exaltación de la Cruz Luna. The Ortíz-Lunas lost four other children, in addition to Octavio, to the bloodshed of the Salvadoran Civil War.
Fr. Ortiz prepared for the priesthood at the San Salvador
San Salvador
The city of San Salvador the capital and largest city of El Salvador, which has been designated a Gamma World City. Its complete name is La Ciudad de Gran San Salvador...
's Seminario San José de la Montaña. He was ordained a priest by Msgr. Romero
Óscar Romero
Óscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdámez was a bishop of the Catholic Church in El Salvador. He became the fourth Archbishop of San Salvador, succeeding Luis Chávez. He was assassinated on 24 March 1980....
. Fr. Ortiz was Romero's first priestly ordination. Thereafter, Fr. Ortiz was sent to minister to the parish of El Despertar in the San Salvador
San Salvador
The city of San Salvador the capital and largest city of El Salvador, which has been designated a Gamma World City. Its complete name is La Ciudad de Gran San Salvador...
neighborhood of Mejicanos
Mejicanos
Mejicanos is a town in the San Salvador department of El Salvador.Mejicanos is a city located in San Salvador, El Salvador. At the 2009 estimate it had 160,751 inhabitants. It has been characterized by its typical food "Yuca Frita con Merienda"....
.
Fr. Ortiz took a special interest in young workers, whom he offered spiritual retreats and seminars. Apparently, Ortiz had been leading such a retreat the night before his assassination. At dawn on January 20, 1979, government troops burst into the retreat center, killed Fr. Ortiz and four youths, and arrested the rest. The government would claim that the retreat center was a guerrilla base. Archbishop Romero called the allegations "lies." It is suspected that the government placed the bodies in positions that would support the official version of events. The assassination has never been investigated. In a final insult, Fr. Ortiz' head was repeatedly run over by a military vehicle so that the priest could not have an open casket funeral. Romero would later say that Ortíz "gave his face to Jesus."