El Salvador judge reopens case of archbishop’s 1980 murder

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador – A Salvadoran judge on Thursday ordered a reopening of the case of the 1980 murder of Roman Catholic Archbishop Oscar Romero.

The decision stems from a separate court ruling that overturned an amnesty law blocking investigation and punishment of crimes from the Central American nation’s 1980-1992 civil war.

The ruling also overturns a release order for a former military captain who is the only one to have been prosecuted for the killing.

The judge asked prosecutors to report on other suspects who may have been involved.

Romero was slain by a sniper while celebrating Mass at a hospital chapel in the Salvadoran capital on March 24, 1980.

He was beatified in 2015, and Catholic officials have said they are studying a possible miracle that could lead to Romero’s canonization.