Rutilio Grande is the name of a Jesuit well known in Latin America, but perhaps not so much in the rest of the world. Yet he is a witness - a martyr - to the faith embodied in the commitment to justice. Fr. Rutilio, a Jesuit from El Salvador, had developed a great friendship with Monsignor Oscar Romero, the Archbishop of San Salvador, who was also assassinated for his commitment to the poor and to peace. In fact, it was largely thanks to this friendship that Monsignor Romero was able to better see the essential social dimensions of the faith in a context of abuse of power and violence.

During his internship in the Communications Office of the General Curia, the young journalist Luca Pirola was impressed by a meeting room that can be called “the room of the Jesuit Saints”. The walls are covered with portraits of famous people from the history of the Society, from St. Ignatius and St. Francis Xavier to Jesuit saints of the last century.

Father Rutilio Grande is not yet in that hall, but Luca, after having had the opportunity to know his history, met Father General's Assistant for Northern Latin America, Fr. Jesús Zaglul, commonly known as Father Chumi. He wanted to talk with him about this Jesuit who was murdered in 1977 and whose beatification proceedings are underway, with the approval of Pope Francis.