BREAKING: Oscar Romero to become a saint

Last updated on: March 7, 2018 at 9:08 am by Deacon Greg Kandra

Pope Francis has given the green light for martyred Archbishop Oscar Romero to be declared a saint.

Mural by Douglas Radamez Barahona, Giobanny Ascencio y Raul Lemus- Grupo Cinteupiltzin CENAR El Salvador / Creative Commons

Francis has authorized a miracle attributed to Romero, and the canonization ceremony could take place during World Youth Day in Panama, January 2019.

Romero’s miracle was reportedly signed off by the Pope on Tuesday 6 March at the same time he authorised a miraculous intercession attributed to Paul VI, who will be canonized at the end of October.

The precise date of the canonizations are expected to be announced by the Pope during a consistory meeting of cardinals in early May.

Declaring Romero a saint culminates years of efforts to have the former Archbishop El Salvador raised to the altars of the church, a process which had been blocked by elements inside the Vatican.

But Francis, the first Latin American Pope, pushed the obstacles to one side recognising Romero as a martyr meaning that he could be beatified in 2015.