



Update: Read our part 2 in the series here:

Historical details reemerge: U.S. Government supplied 10 Million rounds of ammo, 10,000 Enfield Rifles, military planes & tanks to Slaughter tens of thousands of Catholic Freedom Fighters (10/17/13)

Have you heard of the film "For Greater Glory" starring Peter O'Toole, Andy Garcia, and Eva Longoria? The film made its debut last summer, June 1, 2012. Interestingly, despite featuring several superstar actors and famous director, Hollywood wouldn't touch this historical epic. They wouldn't fund it, promote it, or distribute it. For discerning folks, that should raise some eyebrows.

I first heard about the film from a neice, who had heard her parish priest recommend it. I did a little research prior to seeing the film, and saw it July 2nd. To say I was astounded is an understatement- not so much by the film itself, which was indeed outstanding- but moreso for the window of history that my research into the Cristero War has opened. The Catholic clergy had been promoting the film prior to its release, at the same time they had launched the 'Fortnight For Freedom' promoting religious liberty.

Wikipedia reports "The Cristero War (1926-29) also known as La Cristiada, was a mass popular uprising and attempted counter-revolution against the anti-Catholicism of the ruling Mexican government. It was based in western Mexico. The rebellion was set off by the enforcement of the Mexican Constitution of 1917, as seen by President Plutarco Elias Calles, in order to weaken the Catholic Church."

There is a massive amount of information on the Cristero War which can be found on the internet. My goal is not to recount all of that here, but rather to focus on an aspect of the story which has not gotten much attention- and that is, the U.S. government's role in the slaughter of tens of thousands of Mexican Roman Catholics fighting for their freedom to simply practice their faith. For naive well-intentioned Catholics who believe that we should always trust the government, these documented facts should be a real wake up call.

Christopher Check is executive vice president of The Rockford Institute and a lecturer on military and Church history. He served for seven years as a field artillery officer in the Marine Corps, attaining the grade of captain. In his September 2007 article 'Viva Cristo Rey! The Cristeros versus the Mexican Revolution', Check outlines the U.S. cooperation with Mexico against the Cristero rebels:

"The heroic efforts of the Joan of Arc Brigades notwithstanding, the Cristero army never had enough ammunition to win a decisive victory. Too often, in the heat of battle, they had to disengage so as to live to fight another day. On several occasions they were reduced to rolling boulders (called "Hail Marys" and "Our Fathers") down a hill on advancing federal troops. Although the federal army was badly led and plagued by high rates of desertion, they were never short of arms and ammunition - supplied by the U.S. government. In at least one battle, American pilots provided air support for the federal army. Stalemate, albeit one that could last for years, seemed to be the best for which the Cristeros could hope."

"Throughout the country, Catholic public figures were assassinated, girls coming out of church were kidnapped, imprisoned, raped. Msgr. Curley, the Archbishop of Baltimore, vented his indignation: "Calles persecutes the church because he knows that he has Rome's approval. Our government has armed Calles's killers. Our friendship has encouraged him in his abominable enterprise: to destroy the idea of God in the minds and hearts of millions of Mexicans." "In 1914, President Carranza, put in place by the US, inaugurated a period of open persecution: priests were massacred (160 were killed in Mexico in February, 1915). John Lind, one of Woodrow Wilson's advisors, rejoiced over the news: "Great news! The more priests they kill in Mexico, the happier I shall be!" An American pastor, indignant about the outraging of the nuns in Vera Cruz, received this reply from Wilson's personal representative: "After prostitution, the worst thing in Mexico is the Catholic Church. Both must disappear!"13 "In 1924, Plutarco Elias Calles became President. For this descendant of Spanish Jews, a 33rd degree Mason, "the Church is the unique cause of all Mexico's misfortunes. ...In 1926, the president and his clique launched a new offensive which they hoped to be definitive: "Now there must be a psychological revolution," Calles declared. "We must penetrate and take hold of the minds of the children and the youth because they must belong to the revolution." ...On May 28, Calles received the Masonic medal of merit from the hands of the Great Commander of the Scottish rite in Mexico. On July 12, the following communique appeared in the press: "International Masonry accepts responsibility for everything that is happening in Mexico, and is preparing to mobilize all its forces for the methodic, integral application of the agreed upon program for this country."18 ...In October the Holy Father declared: "The blood of martyrs has always been the seed of blessings from heaven." How could one fail to understand that one year after Quas Primas, the Cristeros were signing with their blood this text on the social reign of our Lord Jesus Christ? Freemasonry understood it, and in its American journal The New Age of December 1926, it expressed its stand: The Catholic Church has perverted the Mexicans for 400 years. Calles's merit is to have delivered them from ignorance and superstition. That is why he can count on our understanding and on North America's support.21"

Several prominent Catholic clergymen at the time publicly condemned the slaughter of Catholics in Mexico and the United States complicity in the matter. Father Francis Clement Kelley wrote Blood-Drenched Altars: A Catholic Commentary on the History of Mexico. [Available here]. Father Michael Kenney, S.J., a contemporary of Fr. Kelley, wrote No God Next Door: Red Rule in Mexico and Our Responsibility in 1935 and references Fr. Kelley's work. The Amazon book description notes "In the late 30's, FDR pressured the clergy to remove this book from circulation or he would institute taxation of church property."

The official Archdiocese of Baltimore, MD has a webpage on Most Rev. Michael Joseph Curley, who "was outspoken in his criticism of the foreign policy of the Roosevelt administration." They note "In time Curley won a reputation as a battler as well as that of a builder. He was the most outspoken and militant prelate in America in the interwar years. Among the crusades he launched were those against the anticlerical governments of Mexico and Spain... He was the first American bishop to speak out forcefully against Communism, persuading the bishops in 1936 to conduct a study of its influence in America."

The Wikipedia page on Plutarco Elías Calles reveals that even former President Vicente Fox acknowledged Calles freemasonry in his book Revolution of Hope p. 17, Viking, 2007 Fox, Vicente and Rob Allyn]

"On 14 June 1926, President Calles enacted anticlerical legislation known formally as The Law Reforming the Penal Code and unofficially as the Calles Law.[15] His anti-Catholic actions included outlawing religious orders, depriving the Church of property rights and depriving the clergy of civil liberties, including their right to trial by jury (in cases involving anti-clerical laws) and the right to vote.[15][16] Catholic antipathy towards Calles was enhanced because of his vocal atheism.[1] He was also a Freemason.[17] Regarding this period, recent President Vicente Fox stated, "After 1917, Mexico was led by anti-Catholic Freemasons who tried to evoke the anticlerical spirit of popular indigenous President Benito Juárez of the 1800s. But the military dictators of the 1920s were a lot more savage than Juárez."[18]"

Despite being framed as a three year war, the Cristianos actually lasted much longer. Three encyclicals were written by Pope Pius XI during this time specifically addressing the conflict and serve as a fascinating historical record:

INIQUIS AFFLICTISQUE ENCYCLICAL OF POPE PIUS XI ON THE PERSECUTION OF THE CHURCH IN MEXICO TO THE VENERABLE BRETHREN, THE PATRIARCHS, PRIMATES, ARCHBISHOPS, BISHOPS, AND OTHER ORDINARIES IN PEACE AND COMMUNION WITH THE APOSTOLIC SEE.

November 18, 1926

November 18, 1926 ACERBA ANIMI ENCYCLICAL OF POPE PIUS XI ON PERSECUTION OF THE CHURCH IN MEXICO

September 29, 1932

September 29, 1932 FIRMISSIMAM CONSTANTIAM ENCYCLICAL OF POPE PIUS XI ON THE RELIGIOUS SITUATION IN MEXICO TO THE VENERABLE BRETHREN THE ARCHBISHOPS, BISHOPS, AND OTHER ORDINARIES OF MEXICO IN PEACE AND COMMUNION WITH THE APOSTOLIC SEE.

Given at St. Peter's in Rome on the Feast of the Resurrection, March 28, 1937, the fifteenth year of Our Pontificate.

"9. Add to this that not only is religious instruction forbidden in the primary schools, but not infrequently attempts are made to induce those whose duty it is to educate the future generations, to become purveyors of irreligious and immoral teachings, thus obliging the parents to make heavy sacrifices in order to safeguard the innocence of their children. We bless with all Our heart these Christian parents and all the good teachers who help them, and We urge upon you, Venerable Brethren, upon the clergy secular and regular, and upon all the faithful, the necessity of giving their utmost attention to the question of education and the formation of the young, especially among the poorer classes, since they are more exposed to atheist, masonic, and communistic propaganda, persuading yourselves that your country will be such as you build it up in the children."

Wikipedia notes that "The reaction of the government was hostile, the President at the time Abelardo Rodriguez, called the encyclical "insolent and defiant."