Scholars in Rome debate legacy of Mexico’s Cristero movement

Scholars gathered at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome from October 7 to October 9 to discuss the 100th anniversary of the Cristero movement. The conference, titled Viva Cristo Rey! Centenary of the Cristero Epic, examined the legacy of the armed Catholic uprising against Mexico's secular government that began in 1926.

Participants analyzed the relationship between the Church and the state in Mexico and Latin America. The Mexican Bishops’ Conference estimates that more than 200,000 people died defending their faith during the conflict, which produced martyrs such as St. José Sánchez del Río and Blessed Miguel Agustín Pro. Discussions included debates over the movement's legacy regarding the violence committed by Cristeros in retaliation against anticlerical laws.

Italian intellectual Rocco Buttiglione defended the actions of the movement as courageous despite any mistakes made. Attendees included the Mexican ambassador to the Holy See, Alberto Medardo Barranco Chavarría, and Rodrigo Guerra Lopez, secretary of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.