Priest Under Fire - by Peter M Sánchez (Hardcover)

About the Book

Through interviews with David Rodriguez and a good helping of critical historical context, Sanchez illustrates the extent to which some religious leaders played pivotal roles in the popular movement of El Salvador's political crisis of the 1970s and 1980s.

Book Synopsis

"A valuable book that goes beyond the specifics of one priest's life to provide insight into the Salvadoran civil war."--Arthur Leigh Binford, coeditor of Landscapes of Struggle: Politics, Society, and Community in El Salvador

"The fascinating story of Father David Rodríguez sheds light on half a century of El Salvador's troubled history and helps to understand the impact of liberation theology."--Héctor Lindo-Fuentes, coauthor of Modernizing Minds in El Salvador: Education Reform and the Cold War, 1960-1980

"Documents Rodriguez's life--an important contribution in and of itself--and shows how religiously grounded leaders like Rodríguez were crucial to the success of revolutionary movements."--Anna Peterson, coeditor of Christianity, Social Change, and Globalization in the Americas

"Sánchez challenges fellow specialists by introducing new evidence and placing Father David in the context of social-movement scholarship. Priest Under Fire is an important and engaging contribution."--Erik Ching, author of Authoritarian El Salvador: Politics and the Origins of the Military Regimes, 1880-1940

David Rodriguez, or Padre David as he is known throughout El Salvador, is a diocesan priest who followed the Second Vatican Council's doctrinal mandate to advocate for the poor and oppressed. In the 1970s, he joined the largest guerilla organization in El Salvador, the FPL (Popular Liberation Forces) and would later be a member of the resulting political party, the FMLN (Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front). Along with other progressive clergy committed to liberation theology, Padre David helped drive forward the country's popular movement.

In Priest Under Fire, Peter Sánchez tells the story of how one priest joined a movement to help his people and his country. He provides much-needed insight into both the Salvadoran civil war and the Catholic Church-influenced grassroots political movements, showing that they continue to inform Latin America today.

Review Quotes

"A fascinating, first-hand account of one of the most important stories in Latin American religion in the twentieth century."--Journal of Ecclesiastical History "Reveals an important argumentative dynamic about the origins of the insurgency."--Latin American Research Review

About the Author

Peter M. Sánchez is professor of emeritus political science at Loyola University Chicago. He is the author of Panama Lost?: U.S. Hegemony, Democracy, and the Canal.