Cable television movie "Romero"

This issue is not a simple one, though it might seem so on the surface. Even in a democratic nation like the United States, the political involvement of clergy from any denomination or level of church activity raises questions and challenges from those who believe the Church should attend to spiritual matters and leave the political battles to secular leaders. Of course, the United States has a long-standing policy concerning separation of church and state that does not prevail in other countries, and Latin American nations in particular have long been essentially Catholic in nature and have looked to the Catholic Church for leadership and guidance. Liberation theology is different in that it entails a direct challenge to secular authority and an appeal for justice.

In Romero, these issues become even more relevant and

. . .
s to stick to religious matters. In part, his recent statement reflected the belief that many of these priests were socialists, a philosophy he said was incompatible with the Church. Recently, Bishop Ruiz in the Mexican region of Chiapas was challenged by businessmen and cattle ranchers as an advocate of class struggle and so as a Socialist. The accusation against Ruiz is the same as that against Romero and other priests who come to see the need for a change--they are accused of inciting the poor. In fact, Bishop Ruiz has been compared to Oscar Romero, and friends who fear for Ruiz's life point to the story of Romero for what would likely happen--his martyrdom would lead to the very civil war his murderers would be trying to prevent. In terms of the issue of whether the Church should become embroiled in the secular world of politics, there are clear and cogent arguments on both sides, though in truth the sort of criminality and corruption seen on the part of the leadership in El Salvador has to be taken into account. In general, though, the issue is complex on both sides. Those who believe the Church should stick to religious matters may believe that church and state should be kept separate--we hold to this idea in the Uni
. . .

Some common words found in the essay are:
El Salvador, Father Grande, Catholic Church, South America, Oscar Romero, Latin America, East Germany, Father Romeros, Ruiz Mexican, , father grande, el salvador, power structure, catholic church, believe church, romero believes, civil war, religious matters, stick religious matters, bishop ruiz, liberation theology, beginning film romero, father grande doing,
Approximate Word count = 1704
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page)