A library I once spent time in
Is named in honor of Pope Pius XII
He was nothing if not prudent
And prudence is a virtue much of the time
In 1948
When talking with members of the Dominican order
Albert Camus admitted that the anti-Fascist resistance
Had waited for a clear voice to speak out of Rome
They told him that the Pope did speak out
But Camus said it was in the language of the encyclicals
And what the world needed was people
Who could speak out clearly and pay up personally
Decades later
There was a bishop who was considered prudent
Which may have been a major reason
He was elevated to the rank of archbishop
But through his direct contact with the suffering
Of the farmers, unionists, pastoral agents, and priests-
Disappearance
Torture
Murder
State-sponsored terrorism
That might have impressed
Even hardened Nazis-
Oscar Romero found his tongue
He spoke with parrhesia
Which could be translated
By the insult leveled
At Egyptian feminist Nawal El Saadawi
Who was imprisoned by Sadat:
“Uncalled for boldness”
The oppression of the poor summoned Romero’s boldness
He wouldn’t shut up
He protected the victims
He got specific
Since the Devil is in the details
The oligarchy felt betrayed
When the nobodies became somebodies to Romero
He spoke out clearly
He paid up personally
He was murdered
He lives on
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