[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 169 (Monday, November 16, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Page S11379]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        EL SALVADOR'S CHALLENGES

  Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, on November 16, 1989, six Jesuit 
Fathers, their housekeeper, and her daughter were brutally murdered by 
members of the Salvadoran Army. The Senate has passed a resolution 
remembering and honoring the lives and work of these individuals, and 
today, as we solemnly mark the 20th anniversary of this tragedy, I am 
struck by the enduring legacy of those who lived and taught their 
commitment to justice, human rights, and peace in the face of violence 
and oppression.
  A New York Times article published on November 17, 1989, a day after 
their murders, remembered Father Ignacio Ellacuria Bescoetxea as a 
strong advocate for human rights and a key participant in successful 
negotiations for the release of the President's daughter in 1985. 
Father Ignacio Martin-Baro was ``a gentle academic type, with an office 
overflowing with books, papers, everything,'' and the editor of a 
widely distributed scholarly journal. Father Segundo Montes worked to 
collect data on atrocities committed in El Salvador's war so that, some 
day, justice could be done and victims would not be forgotten. Father 
Amando Lopez was a committed professor of theology and served the 
seminary as its rector. Father Juan Ramon Moreno was the assistant 
director of the university's chapel which also served as an auditorium 
for lectures making relevant church teachings to the situation in El 
Salvador. Father Joaquin Lopez y Lopez was the director in El Salvador 
of Fe y Alegria which organized primary schools for children in the 
poorest neighborhoods.
  These men put their faith and academic expertise in philosophy, 
political science, sociology, economics, and theology to good use. They 
maintained a distinct hope for an El Salvador at peace, and a country 
that respected and protected the rights and well-being of all its 
people--including the very poorest. These teachers were invaluable 
educators not only for their students and fellow Salvadorans, but also 
for the global community, bringing international attention and 
awareness to the plight of those most deeply affected by the conflict 
in their country. Though tragic, their deaths, and those of their 
housekeeper, Julia Elba Ramos, and her daughter, Celina Mariset Ramos, 
helped bring about the negotiations that ultimately led to peace in 
1992, and their work on human rights and social justice is continued 
today by many in El Salvador and around the world, including the 28 
Jesuit colleges and universities in the U.S.
  The civil war is long over, and we witnessed a landmark for democracy 
this spring as El Salvador hosted its first transfer of power between 
political parties in a relatively peaceful and transparent election. 
The new government faces many challenges, including widespread poverty, 
crime, and gang violence, and the work of the six priests remains just 
as important today--to address these great challenges, El Salvador must 
commit itself to the causes of education, justice, and human rights 
that they championed two decades ago.

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