My walk with Ignacio Ellacuría

Abstract

In this paper, Jon Sobrino reflects on his life, his experiences with Ignacio Ellacuría, and the profound impact of his faith as a legacy for present and future generations. Ellacuría’s faith, in Sobrino’s view, was illuminated by the emergence of Monsignor Romero during the turbulent era of military dictatorship and civil war; thus, it is possible to speak of a process of conversion that began with his theological studies in Innsbruck and culminated in the assassination of Fr. Rutilio Grande and the encounter, ministry, and assassination of Monsignor Romero. Faith, based on these reflections, is neither a finished reality nor an experience that can be taken for granted, but rather an effort that shapes the disposition and radicalism of the person—in the cases presented in this text, the humanity of Ignacio Ellacuría, Monsignor Romero, and Jon Sobrino himself—and the mystery of discerning the liberating God amid the darkness of our days. Finally, Sobrino presents a possible Ellacurian perspective for the current context of the pandemic and how, through encountering and scrutinizing reality, it is still possible to open the doors to the history of salvation from the perspective of the oppressed.