Press Release: 11/16/2025

McGovern Statement on 36th Anniversary of Jesuit Priest Murders

 

 

Washington, November 16, 2025

 

WORCESTER, MA—Congressman James P. McGovern (D-MA), Ranking Member of the House Rules Committee and Co-Chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, released the following statement on the 36th anniversary of the murders of six Jesuit priests in El Salvador:



"Today we commemorate the 36th anniversary of the brutal murders of six Jesuits, their housekeeper and her daughter by the Salvadoran military at the University of Central America in San Salvador.



"Fathers Ignacio Ellacuría, Ignacio Martín-Baró, Segundo Montes, Juan Ramón Moreno, Amando López and Joaquín López y López worked tirelessly for peace and justice. Elba Ramos and Celina Ramos supported them in this mission.



"Their work for human rights and justice inspires me to this day. They taught me and many others the importance of putting faith into action, of standing with the oppressed, and of the inherent dignity and worth of every human.



"For their advocacy for the poor and the marginalized, for standing up to power and corruption, they were made martyrs. They were gunned down by security forced supplied with weapons provided by the United States. There has never been genuine accountability for the intellectual authors of these crimes. Many still remain free.



"Today, we are repeating these mistakes. The Trump Administration has sent nearly $5 million in American taxpayers’ money to Salvadoran security forces who are engaged in a modern campaign of repression under President Bukele’s state of exception. This is immoral.  



"The Administration has abandoned human rights as a policy priority, and the State Department has closed the office that assesses whether our military aid is used to commit human rights abuses. This is wrong.



"As we reflect on the lives and sacrifices of the martyrs, let us remember their commitment to change—to human rights, democracy, justice, and the rule of law – based on sacred values—rooted deeply in the fabric of their Jesuit values.



"Let us, as Americans, be inspired by their message and their works, and recommit to standing up against authoritarians appeals to brutality and imagine a society where the strong are just and the weak are protected."