A Historical Perspective of the Christeros

A Historical Perspective of the Christeros
In pursuit of the truth - cinops be gone - Wed., Aug. 22, 2012

Again the Cardinal Mindszenty August Report has given us an in depth analysis.*

“Persecution has been endemic to the Catholic Church for 2000 years. In 1971 Chancellor Otto von Bismarck initiated a Kutlturkampf or Culture against German Catholics that lasted for 20 years. He boarded up Catholic hospitals and schools and virtually eliminated Catholics from the public marketplace under the pretext that Church teachings were a hindrance to national unity and scientific progress early in the 20th century for the emergence of a bloodier culture war in Mexico.

“Calles Law: After its civil war and ensuing Industrial Revolution, a secular animus toward organized religion began to permeate American culture. By the turn of the century, it ideological seeds had filtered into America’s neighboring countries, most importantly, Mexico.

“By 1917 secularism had bred a spirit of anti-clericalism that dominated Venustiano Carranza’s government. In 1920 his successor and former ally Alvaro Obregon shared Carranza’ anti-clerical sentiments, but he applied the measures selectively and only in areas where Catholic support was the weakest.

“This uneasy truce between the government and the church ended with the 1924 election of Plutarco Elias Calles, a strident atheist and Freemason. A morose and stubborn man, Calles was a fanatic who was determined to make the Catholic Church subservient to his socialist rule. He not only applied the anti-clerical laws more severely throughout the country but also added more restricted legislation.

“In June 1926 he signed the Calles Law, officially known as The Law for Reforming the Penal Code. This law provided strict penalties for priests and individuals who violated the provisions of the 1917 Constitution. Priests were fined 500 pesos, or about $250 for wearing clerical garb and could be imprisoned five years for criticizing the government.

“The Calles Law enraged the Mexican Episcopate, which behind the scenes was working tirelessly to have the offending articles of the Constitution repealed. In Rome Pope Pius XI explicitly approved their non-violent means of resistance.

“A General Outrage: On July 14 the same year the bishops endorsed a plan for an economic boycott against the Calles regime. The boycott voluntarily limited economic activity in Mexican recreation, commerce, transportation and education Catholics. Catholics stopped attending movies and plays, riding on buses or streetcars and Catholic teachers refused to teach in secular schools.

“The Calles regime condemned the bishops’ involvement as sedition. Calles enacted another law that made the exercise of sacred ministry a crime worthy of capital punishment. He boldly seized church property, expelled all foreign priests and closed monasteries, convents and religious schools.

“In effect the Church could no longer own any property. All church buildings, including its seminaries, religious houses, Episcopal residences and all its charitable institutions, now belong to the state. Calles even used some churches as garages, museums and public meeting halls.

“As a last resort the bishops suspended all remaining ministry and urged the people to protest the persecution of their faith. By October the boycott had collapsed, due mainly to lack of support from wealth Catholics. As a result Mexico staggered under the explosive weight of general outrage and dissatisfaction with the Calles reign. The threat of violence escalated with each ensuing day. After the August 1926 siege of the Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Guadalajara, which left many dead including the parish priest and his vicar, many Catholics decided to go to war against the regime’s oppressive rule…” [Two more pages of analysis.]

George H. Kubeck - * For the rest of the story, consider a subscription to the monthly Mindszenty Report, subscription rate: $20.00/year. 314-727-6279, www.mindszenty.org - info@mindszenty.org