By lighting a candle for Romero, Obama, it might be said, was tacitly doing in El Salvador what he wouldn’t—or couldn’t—do in Chile: apologize for US actions that resulted in horrific human tragedy.That's a quite a stretch in my opinion. I think that it was important for Obama to visit Romero's crypt particularly so close to the anniversary of his death. It would have been a huge story had he not planned to visit, enough that it probably would have been worth changing around his scheduled visit to Latin America.
However, I don't in any way read it as some sort of apology on behalf of the US government. In many ways his visit and the meaning behind it is probably no different from the White House statement on March 25, 1980.
The President strongly condemns the tragic assassination of Archbishop Oscar A. Romero of San Salvador yesterday. It is a shocking and unconscionable act.
Archbishop Romero spoke for the poor of El Salvador, where their voices had been ignored for so long. He spoke for change and for social justice which his nation so desperately needs. Terrorism cannot silence the message of compassion of the Archbishop. It cannot and should not intimidate those who seek social justice and democracy.An important visit, but not an apology for supporting a military and paramilitary that was responsible for the majority of human rights violations committed during the Salvadoran civil war.
Obama didn't take questions from reporters at the cathedral so we'll have to wait for his next book to find out what he wants us to take away from his visit.
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