Mr. / Madame Speaker, I rise today in support of H.Res. 761 to commemorate the lives and work of those who were executed by members of the Salvadoran Army on the 20th anniversary of their deaths next month. 

On November 16, 1989, members of the Salvadoran Army entered the Universidad Centroamericana Jose Simeon Canas (UCA) in San Salvador and massacred six Jesuit priests, a house keeper and her daughter.

This senseless mass murder was incited when the six priests took a stand for social justice and against the oppressive elements in Salvadoran society, notably the tyrannical military.

Among the victims were:

-Father Ignacio Ellacuria, a rector of the University and an outspoken critic of the Army;

-Father Ignacio Martin Baro, a prolific writer and an intellectual on the effects of war on the human psyche;

-Father Segundo Montes, founder of the Human Rights Institute at UCA and a congressional advisor on Salvadoran refugees;

-Father Amano Lopez, a respected member of the Society of Jesus, gifted counselor, and a pastoral worker;

-Father Joaquin Lopez y Lopez, director of the Fe y Alegria education program in poor communities;

-Father Juan Ramon Moreno, a theological scholar and publicist;

-And, Elba Ramos, the Jesuits’ housekeeper, who was killed alongside her teenage daughter, Celina, when she wrapped her body around Celina’s, trying to protect her from the shooting.

Having spent six years in the Jesuit order studying to become a Jesuit priest, I have a deep appreciation for the sacrifice these people made in pursuit of religious freedom and human rights.

These eight martyrs actually inspired me to join the Society of Jesus in 1990 and to carry on their struggle for religious freedom and human rights 19 years later.

Today, the 28 Jesuit colleges and universities in the United States have annually observed the November 16th anniversary of the martyred Jesuits and the two martyred women.

This resolution commends those institutions for their solidarity with the UCA and extends sympathy to the families, friends, colleagues, and religious communities of the deceased.

Finally, the measure calls upon the President, the Secretary of State, and other United States federal agencies to support efforts by the El Salvadoran government and other public, private, and religious organizations to reduce poverty and hunger and to promote educational opportunity, human rights, the rule of law and social equity for the people of El Salvador.

Mr. / Madame Speaker, I strongly urge my colleagues to honor the lives of these human rights martyrs and support H.Res. 761.

And, in the words of the Jesuit fathers, “ad majorem Dei gloriam”.

Thank you, and I yield back the balance of my time.