Author Topic: First Cristeros Congress (Read 4495 times)

Miseremini · « **on:** January 15, 2026, 12:15:20 PM »

Mexico: First Cristero Congress in Cancún

January 11, 2026
Source: FSSPX News

The city of Cancún will host the first Cristero Congress, organized to commemorate the centenary of the Cristiada, the armed uprising of Catholics against the religious persecution by a revolutionary and Masonic government.
The meeting will be held at the San José Luís Sánchez del Río church. The event is supported by Pedro Pablo Elizondo Cárdenas, Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Cancún-Chetumal. In an interview given on January 8, the bishop emphasized that the Cristeros' motivation stemmed from a deeply rooted faith.
The bishop noted the profound faith that animated them: "The Catholic Faith was part of their being, their life, their essence, their tradition, their family." He added: "They cannot be conceived without this faith," because "it was a vital thing" and "more than a theoretical concept."
Religious persecution in Mexico already had a long and troubled history before the ιnѕυrrєcтισn. The Mexican Constitution of 1917 openly denied the rights and legal personality of the Church and imposed significant restrictions on worship.
On July 31, 1926, the "Law on Crimes and Offenses concerning Religious Worship and External Discipline" was promulgated by President Plutarco Elías Calles. On the same day, the Mexican bishops decided to suspend public worship, causing consternation. Thousands of faithful rushed to the churches to confess. Some wanted to react.
In various regions of the country, many Catholics rose up against the federal government to defend their faith, in what is known as the Cristiada or Cristero War.
Officially, the Cristiada ended on June 21, 1929, but the persecution and assassinations of Cristeros continued for years. According to the Mexican Episcopal Conference, "More than 200,000 martyrs gave their lives to defend their faith: children, young people, the elderly, peasants, workers, professionals, priests, and lay religious."
As part of these commemorations, Bishop Elizondo Cárdenas explained the origin of the cry that identifies the Cristeros: "Long live Christ the King!" This cry emerged as a "test" applied by federal soldiers "when they arrested someone for professing their faith." The soldiers, he emphasized, would question the Catholic by asking a specific question: "Who lives?" The detainee had two possible answers: "Long live the federal army!" or "Long live Christ the King!"; the latter was considered a confession.
Over time, this public confession became a motto and a battle cry: ¡Viva Cristo Rey! ¡Viva la Virgen de Guadalupe! ("Long live Christ the King! Long live the Virgin of Guadalupe!").
While the clergy of the time debated the armed defense of the Faith, "the humblest people took up arms." The prelate focused on the guerrilla warfare in the central states of the country: "The many peasants who waged the fiercest guerrilla warfare in the states of Jalisco, Guanajuato, Michoacán, and Colima did not get bogged down in distinctions, but acted out of love for their faith."
This faith "embodied many values, evangelical values, family values, marriage values, life values, values of all the evangelical virtues... which, for them, were worth defending at the risk of their lives."
An Anti-Clerical and Anti-Catholic State
The bishop recalled that after the conflict, "the secular state was interpreted as being an anti-clerical and anti-Catholic state." Consequently, he stated, neither in schools nor in public spaces "can the name of God be uttered," with the aim of reducing "the practice of the Catholic faith to the church and the sacristy."
According to Bishop Elizondo, "freedom of expression was limited," as if "bishops and priests, or even lay people, did not have the right or permission... to express their faith and speak about their faith in the media." Along the same lines, he affirmed that in Mexico, "there have been attempts at gag laws to silence the Church in its expression."
As the centenary approaches, Bishop Elizondo Cárdenas emphasized the obligation to recover the memory of the Cristero War. He believes it is fundamental to "remember it justly, because the government, Mexican culture, and society have erased this period of the Cristero Revolution from history." Therefore, he declared, it is now necessary "to study it, write about it, organize conferences, make films, etc., because it is a historical fact."
The organizers of the first Cristero Congress in Cancún indicated that information and registration details can be obtained via WhatsApp or on the event's social media platforms. The congress will be held on Saturday, February 7, 2026.

Author Topic: First Cristeros Congress (Read 4495 times)

Miseremini

First Cristeros Congress