The increasing number of fatal acts of police are among the emerging concerns addressed by the Pastoral of Favelas, an archdiocesan commission created 42 years ago to respond to the needs of Rio’s slum dwellers.

Wells of Hope also is building homes for those in the community.

Mr. LeBarón, the family's spokesperson, said he hopes he can channel the grief and anger over the killings into a broad social movement. “We want to unite the whole country. We want a social movement, not a political one,” he said.

Blessed Miller was beatified Dec. 7 in Huehuetenango, where he was remembered as a martyr for education.

El Salvador may have signed peace accords in 1992, he said, but there's a lot of hurt that remains because justice has been elusive.

The story of “La Virgen del Tepeyac” is about the birth of a people.