The roots of Mexico’s 1926-29 Cristero War can be traced to an anti-Catholic strain in the ruling circles of Mexican society going back to the time of the Mexican Revolution in the early 19th century.
And the story of the often violent campaigns against the Catholic Church can be found in a book written by a former Detroit priest who went on to found the Catholic Church Extension Society and to become bishop of Oklahoma City.
Bishop Francis Clement Kelley (1870-1948) was ordained for the Diocese of Detroit in 1893, and before he left to lead the society, he served as pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish, Lapeer. He continues to be honored there, as namesake of the parish’s Bishop Kelley Catholic School.
Before becoming a bishop in 1924, he also served as representative of the Mexican bishops, during which time he became familiar with the history of church-state relations in Mexico, and with the forces at work there in the Mexican power structure.
He told his fascinating account of what he had learned in “Blood-Drenched Altars – Mexican Study and Comment” (1933, revised edition 1935), which may still be found in some libraries or purchased on Amazon.com.
Bishop Kelley delves deep into the history of Spain and Mexico to lay the groundwork for his story, making it difficult to give a capsulized version of the book, but here are some major points:
- Many Mexican intellectuals of the late 18th and early 19th centuries had imbibed the anti-Church ideas of the French Revolution.
- This kind of thinking, while not widespread among ordinary people, figured prominently among those most involved in the break with Spain and formation of subsequent governments.
- Both ideologues and bandits coveted the wealth of the Church and were often brutal in their efforts to seize it.
- Besides interfering with the Church’s work, the brutal seizures of Church property destroyed much of Mexico’s historical and intellectual heritage.
- Even when political leaders not actively hostile to the Church came to power, they refrained from ever fully restoring the Church’s rights or property, rarely rescinding anti-Church laws or policies, but only easing up on enforcement.
- Rigged elections and armed seizures of power kept the majority of Mexicans from being able to freely choose their leaders through much of the country’s history.
- During some periods, and more so in some parts of Mexico than others, public profession of the Catholic faith has carried with it penalties ranging from exclusion from some jobs to active persecution.
