1979: Bloodless coup by reformist army officers backed by the United States. Military-civilian junta installed in El Salvador. Torture, assassinations, kidnappings intensify.
Feb 1980: Romero visited Rome and argued that it was problematic to support the Salvadoran government because it legitimized terror and assassinations.
He urged US President Jimmy Carter to reconsider American support and aid to the junta. Carter refused.
23 Mar 1980: Romero tells soldiers they are killing their own people
24 Mar 1980: Romero shot dead as he celebrated Mass. The assassins were members of a death squad trained and funded by the United States.
No-one has ever been convicted in connection with Archbishop Romero's murder.
