Gunmen open fire at Archbishop’s funeral

Press, 1 April 1980, Page 8

Gunmen open fire at Archbishop’s funeral

NZPA-Reuter San Salvador: About' 40 people were! killed, some .of them' trampled to death, when! gunfire and bombs sent! thousands of mourners flee-1 ing far their lives at the funeral of murdered Arch-' bishop Oscar Arnulfo Ro-1 mero.

The body of Archbishop Romero, who was shot dead while celebrating Mass eight days ago, was about to be laid to rest in a crypt in San Salvador’s cathedral on Sunday when a series of explosions erupted in the cathedral square. A stampede ensued as an estimated 300,000 people fought their way to safety along with Church leaders from the Vatican, the United States, Europe, and Latin America. The ruling civilian-mili-tary junta blamed Leftist militants far the shooting and, said they had planned to steal the body of Archbishop Romero. Several cars were burned and some shops looted before security forces established order. Early yesterday troops were patrolling the city in force. Ten months ago about 25 people were shot on the steps of the cathedral. Left-

list militants and security I (forces accused each other ofi 'provoking that incident, ; li A Government statement’ Jsaid security forces couldi ■inot have started Sunday’s; i shooting because they were.' •confined to barracks. i It .said the troops were! i only called out after the vio-j lence erupted. However, some troops; were seen guarding the; national palace and banks! near the cathedral. i The gunfire and ex-' plosions broke out sooni after a Leftist-organised i! “march of mourning”. ar- 1 rived at the cathedral ; square. Some eye-witnesses;; reported seeing Leftists exchanging gunfire with snipers. None of the foreign Church dignitaries headed by! Cardinal- Ernesto Corripio i Ahumada of Mexico was believed to have been -injured in the shootings and the accompanying riot. All crouched behind the ; main altar-for safety. i Monsignor Romero was laid to rest with a ' brief 1 prayer in a crypt at -the 1 cathedral during a lull in the ; shooting and before most of < the Church dignitaries were bundled off to safety in am- ! bulances. • 1

The violence was not totally unexpected. Military officials had earlier warned that Leftists ar Right-wing provocateurs might take advantage of the funeral ceremonies to create disorder. Diplomatic observers said the new outbreak of violence was not likely to trigger an immediate revolution ' as many here had feared. The observers pointed out that the Leftists were not • yet ready for a- general uprising because if they had been the riot at the' cathedral would have sparked it.' i‘T think the worst is over; at least for the time being,” a military source said. The Defence Ministry said the junta'' at one point considered imposing martial law throughout the country. El Salvador is already under a. state of siege,- a milder form- of martial law, imposed-by-the junta earlier this month to enable it .to implement significant ’ agrarian and banking reforms aimed at averting civil war; ■ln life as in death Archbishop Romero, a Nobel Peace Prize nominee last year,' aroused passions. Government leaders blamed the Right for his murder and the Left for the violence at his funeral ceremonies.