Fernando Sáenz Lacalle

In the years following his installation, Sáenz was accused by critics of eviscerating the “preferential option for the poor” of his predecessors, notably Romero, by clamping down on progressive church movements affiliated with liberation theology with a series of personnel movements, closing of programs, and changes to seminary curriculum.[2] Sáenz defended his stances by saying that the Roman Catholic Church must speak on behalf of the poor and defenseless, but never become involved in activism or politics.[3] Sáenz was a member of the Opus Dei. He supported the canonization cause of his predecessor, Romero.

Sáenz presided over the completion of the Metropolitan Cathedral on 19 March 1999.[4] Sáenz seemed to find his voice after two deadly earthquakes struck El Salvador a year apart in 2000 and 2001, with the archbishop springing into action to marshal international relief.[5] In more recent years, Sáenz advocated conservative Catholic views on sex and contraception, called for civil cooperation with police authorities to combat gang violence, and criticized labor strikes in the health sector as an unjustifiable denial of service to hospital patients.[6]

In accordance with Canon law, Sáenz tendered his retirement as archbishop on 27 December 2008, and it was accepted. Bishop José Luis Escobar Alas of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Vicente, El Salvador, was named the eleventh Bishop and seventh Archbishop of San Salvador, El Salvador on Monday, 29 December 2008, by Pope Benedict XVI.[7]