Pope Francis decreed on Tuesday that Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero died as a martyr, opening a path toward his beatification, which is the last step before sainthood. For many people across the Americas, the decision affirmed the moral fortitude of Romero, who was killed in 1980 for defending the poor and condemning the violence perpetrated by the Salvadoran government and funded by the United States at the height of the Cold War.
Here’s a look back at how Romero became such an important figure:
