Outspoken proponent of the martyred Salvadoran Jesuits, Father Chema, is interred
Father José María Tojeira, a prominent figure in El Salvador's public life, passed away on September 11, 2021, at the age of 78. Born in Vigo, Spain, in 1947, Tojeira devoted his life to serving his adopted home, becoming a significant voice for human rights, environmental causes, and social justice.
Tojeira joined the Jesuits in 1969 and was sent to Central America, where he began his work in Honduras. He served with a religious community, as a parish priest, and as the director of Radio Progreso, a Jesuit project. In 1985, he moved to El Salvador and became a Salvadoran citizen.
Throughout his career, Tojeira served as provincial of the Jesuits' Central America province from 1988 to 1995 and rector of the Jesuit-run Central American University Jose Simeon Canas in San Salvador from 1997 to 2010. He also served as director of the university's Human Rights Institute and pastor of El Carmen Parish in Santa Tecla until his death.
Tojeira was a consistent voice who denounced human rights violations, particularly after the murder of six fellow Jesuits, a housekeeper, and her daughter in San Salvador in 1989. The murder was perpetrated by Salvadoran troops, and it took 30 years before Tojeira was able to testify in a Spanish court.
Inocente Orlando Montano, vice minister of defense at the time of the killings, was convicted in July 2020 and sentenced to 133 years in prison. Tojeira also took issue with President Nayib Bukele, urging dialogue instead of exercising power in a despotic and tyrannical style.
In addition to his work in human rights, Tojeira championed environmental causes. He testified for a national water law before the National Assembly in 2017 and criticized the 2024 repeal of a law banning mining, stating that it was false that mining enriches the country.
Commonly known as 'Padre Chema,' Tojeira was a significant figure in El Salvador's public life. He died of a heart attack in September 2021 while preparing to give a lecture at Jesuit-run Rafael Landivar University in Guatemala City. The speaker of the Society of Jesus after the occupation of the Jesuit-led Central American University in Managua in 2023 was not explicitly named in the available search results. However, it is known that Tojeira became spokesman for the Society of Jesus after the Jesuit-run Central American University in Managua was seized by Nicaragua's dictatorship in 2023.
Tojeira's parents were schoolteachers, and he was born into a family that valued education and service. His legacy will continue to inspire those who seek justice, peace, and a better future for all in El Salvador and beyond.
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