‘Justice, not vengeance’: The life and ministry of Jesuit José María Tojeira

['James T. Keane', 'More James T. Keane', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Coauthors.Is-Layout-Flow', 'Class', 'Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus', 'Display Inline', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Avatar', 'Where Img', 'Height Auto Max-Width', 'Vertical-Align Bottom .Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Coauthors.Is-Layout-Flow .Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Avatar'] America Magazine 2025-09-09 00:00:00

On the morning of Nov. 16, 1989, José María Tojeira, S.J., received an unexpected visitor at his home in San Salvador. In May of the following year, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to cut military aid to El Salvador by half. Father Tojeira, known as “Chema,” was born in Vigo, Spain, in 1947, and entered the Society of Jesus after high school. Father Tojeira died on Sept. 5, 2025, while on a trip to Guatemala City. (McGovern had been an outspoken advocate against U.S. military aid to El Salvador after the 1989 killings.)