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The La Christiada Has Crossed the Border
The open southern border has brought migrants, cartels, fentanyl, sex traffickers, drug traffickers, and child labor trafficking.
Something else has crossed the border, something that did not have to cross the Rio Grande, something that did not have to navigate the Sonoran Desert. An ideology that, like a virus, made its way from the French Revolution to Mexico in the 1920s has crossed the border. A virus that became the Cristero War.
The Cristero War (Spanish: Guerra Cristera), also known as the Cristero Rebellion or La Cristiada, was a widespread struggle in central and western Mexico from 1 August 1926 to 21 June 1929 in response to the implementation of secularist and anticlerical articles of the 1917 Constitution. The rebellion was instigated as a response to an executive decree by Mexican President Plutarco Elías Calles to strictly enforce Article 130 of the Constitution, a decision known as Calles Law. Calles sought to eliminate the power of the Catholic Church in Mexico, its affiliated organizations and to suppress popular religiosity.
Calles sought more than eliminating the power of the Catholic Church; he wanted to eliminate Catholicism in Mexico. The war between the Cristeros and the secular Calles claimed approximately 250,000 lives, and 250,000 fled to California and Arizona.
Who is minding the minders?
A full-blown La Christiada has not come here, but there are skirmishes taking place across the US.
Since civil unrest began on May 28, 2020, there have been at least 309 attacks against Catholic churches in the United States, including acts of arson which damaged or destroyed historic churches; spray-painting and graffiti of satanic messages; rocks and bricks thrown through windows; statues destroyed (often with heads cut off); and illegal disruptions of Mass. A new spate of at least 147 attacks has occurred since the draft Supreme Court opinion proposing to reverse Roe v. Wade was leaked in early May 2022, with many including graffiti with pro-abortion messages. Crucially, while a handful of the attacks have included thefts, the vast majority have only involved property destruction, indicating that the primary motive is not material gain.
The full spreadsheet database of the attacks may be viewed here.
Notes: This tracker includes all reported acts of vandalism and violence against churches since May 28, 2020. Nearly all reports are sourced from news agencies, while a handful have been reported directly to CatholicVote, with documentation, via email. Thefts of holy objects including tabernacles and statues are included, but thefts of cash, copper, and other cases where the motive appears to be purely material gain are not included.
The FBI seems to have a deplorable lack of curiosity about investigating these attacks and a misplaced sense of curiosity about traditional Catholics, the Rosary, and the Latin Mass. CatholicVote.org and Judicial Watch have filed a lawsuit against the FBI and the Department of Justice.
CatholicVote, joined by Judicial Watch, is suing the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Justice for information regarding the scandal of the federal agencies targeting American Catholics.
“On March 8th, 2023, CatholicVote sent FOIA requests to the FBI and DOJ seeking access to records pertaining to Catholics and other topics related to the leaked memo,” CatholicVote stated in a Thursday press release:
Even though FOIA norms require agencies to respond within 20 business days, with an additional 10 for “unusual circumstances,” over a month has passed and to date the FBI and DOJ have failed to produce the requested records or even communicate whether they plan to comply with the requests.
“In February, a leaked memo from the FBI Richmond Field Office exposed the Bureau for targeting Catholics,” CatholicVote stated in its press release this week. “The memo, which relied on ideologically driven criteria from the discredited and far-left Southern Poverty Law Center, was denounced by CatholicVote as another shocking example of the dangerous weaponization of government agencies against political enemies.”
CatholicVote noted that a subpoena from Jordan confirmed “that the leaked memo, originally disavowed under oath by Attorney General Garland as an isolated incident initiated by a low-level rogue agent, was actually approved by senior intelligence analysts and distributed to field offices across the country.”
“This spying on Catholics comes after hundreds of violent attacks have been carried out against pro-life organizations and Catholic churches throughout the country; attacks that have been virtually ignored by the FBI and DOJ,” CatholicVote stated. “Meanwhile, the DOJ has exerted maximum effort to harass, intimidate and prosecute pro-life advocates to the fullest extent of the law.”
When you ignore political violence, then won’t prosecute those who commit violent acts, their actions will only become bolder. The perception that those who commit those acts who escape investigation or prosecution have become the paramilitary wing of the Democrat Party is the fault of political appointees and entrenched bureaucrats.
Published in Religion & Philosophy
It seems odd that hatred for Catholics is spreading from Mexico to America.
I might have expected that to go in the other direction…
Yes, I agree that this war on Catholics, is not because of the influx of illegal immigrants. This war is being waged by left, liberal, unrepentant, Catholic hating Americans. Liberals hate America, and the values it was founded on. The war on Catholic institutions, on the values it holds, and the rampant illegal immigration are all part of the unified war by Liberals on America.
I think it has more to do with the abortion, transgender mutilation, euthanasia, and the resistance of Catholic hospitals to provide those services. Skirmishes include doctors and nurses whether Catholic or not that as a matter of conscience will not perform those services.
it doesn’t help that we have a holier than thou Catholic heretic as our President. The ACLU files lawsuits against Catholic hospitals on a regular basis. It has been said the ACLU hates Nativity displays because they don’t have three wise men, or a virgin in their entire organization.
Whether it is Mexico or the USA secular warfare transcends borders. The warning shots for religious believers regardless of where they worship should not be ignored.
I fully expect it will come for other orthodox churches and synagogues. I think the mosques will be left alone for quite a while, until the Muslims are no longer useful.
Or no longer considered too dangerous to threaten.
Good point!
I hate to say I’m not surprised. The FBI has already shown its stripes regarding religious organization, particularly those that are pro-life. I’m so sorry to hear that these activities go on.
The Left regards Muslims quite differently than it does Christians and Jews. I don’t think it’s mysterious why – despite Muslims holding politically incorrect views on social matters, many Islamists regard Christians and Jews as the enemy, just as the Left does, and therefore the Left will tolerate them – for now.
The bizarre truth, though, is that Muslims supposedly believe they have the same roots as the Christians and Jews. Of course, we’re still all dhimmis.
The enemy of your enemy is your friend.
Viva Cristo Rey!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6JXdplbbKA
¡Viva Cristo Rey!
A brief overview of the Cristero War that became the movie For Greater Glory:
It’s because, in the West, Muslims are relatively powerless – and the Left is on the side of the downtrodden and powerless. (Would you look at the nerve of these people? Hey, lady, I’m working this side of the street!!!)
I know this doesn’t fit into the being persecuted narrative of the Right (who is being persecuted, by whom, what does it all mean eschatologically) but I honestly think that’s the motive.
The Left in the Muslim world, you will notice, regard religious Muslims quite differently.
Oh thank God, I thought you meant the Chupa CabraRevolutionary violence targets temporal power. That’s why the revolution in Mexico (and the Left in Spain, in fact across Latin America) was so anti-clerical.
Overturning Roe v Wade gives the impression that the Catholic Church, in the US, is regaining its position as arbiter. Possibly an unfair perception, but I think that might be why these attacks on Churches happen.
By Messicans? I doubt it. My Muslims? Again – they truly don’t care about the Catholic Church. By Protestants? Again – why would they bother?
If there are attacks against Churches it’s by your own wounded. I know it’s easier to blame outsiders, but it ain’t them, it’s part of your own.
I knew we were related Quinn. Deny it as you may!Obviously we have the same religious roots. To ignore that is the vanity of small differences. Compare the whole caboodle to something truly different like Hinduism and the similarities become clear.
No, Zafar, it’s not (only) disaffected Catholics. It’s those who want sex without consequences, of any or no faith. The Catholic Church as been the most consistent, most outspoken opponent of abortion. That’s why, in part, it has been targeted in these attacks.
I’m not blaming the Mexicans, if Nancy Pelosi thought they would vote Republican, or would not support Progressive causes she would be on the Mexican side of the border cutting their feet off with a hatchet before they could complete their journey. The last thing Democrats want to see is an increase of faithful Catholics entering the US.
Doug isn’t talking about Mexicans. He’s talking about an ideology that has its roots in the French Revolution, among other revolutionary movements. The French Revolution was notoriously anti-clerical.
Yes, that’s why the American Revolution targeted Anglican and other ministers.
The Catholic Church in America lost temporal power a long time ago. It can’t even keep its priests out of court any more. I doubt non-[cradle]Catholics feel that strongly about the Church, one way or the other – these attacks on churches are not rational – the Church has no power – they’re emotional. They’re signs of a “civil war” that nobody else is tuned in to. imho.
Edited to add:
Speaking for myself, if I wanted to have sex without consequences I would go and have sex without consequences. Attacking a Catholic Church is not my idea of a fun night out, it would not help me achieve my SWC objectives in the slightest.
(Unless I snuck into the seminary….?)Actually converts to Catholicism usually make the strongest believers. If you’re referring to the sex abuse scandals you need to do some more research. The public school system has a much higher rate of sexual abuse in the US than the Catholic Church, always has.
It’s different for people who want to call themselves Catholic yet don’t want to abide by the teachings.
We all have earthly father Abraham.
Genesis 16:
Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian slave named Hagar; 2 so she said to Abram, “The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her.”
Abram agreed to what Sarai said. 3 So after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai his wife took her Egyptian slave Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife. 4 He slept with Hagar, and she conceived.
When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress. 5 Then Sarai said to Abram, “You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my slave in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the Lord judge between you and me.”
6 “Your slave is in your hands,” Abram said. “Do with her whatever you think best.” Then Sarai mistreated Hagar; so she fled from her.
7 The angel of the Lord found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur. 8 And he said, “Hagar, slave of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?”
“I’m running away from my mistress Sarai,” she answered.
9 Then the angel of the Lord told her, “Go back to your mistress and submit to her.” 10 The angel added, “I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count.”
11 The angel of the Lord also said to her:
“You are now pregnant
and you will give birth to a son.
You shall name him Ishmael,[a]
for the Lord has heard of your misery.
12 He will be a wild donkey of a man;
his hand will be against everyone
and everyone’s hand against him,
and he will live in hostility
toward[b] all his brothers.”
13 She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen[c] the One who sees me.” 14 That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi[d]; it is still there, between Kadesh and Bered.
15 So Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram gave the name Ishmael to the son she had borne. 16 Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore him Ishmael.
Is that in fact true? I don’t know. Certainly Il Papa isn’t consistent with RC doctrine. But the fact is any violence against any group or individual who stands faithfully against infanticide while not themselves initiating violence is not acceptable.
In that case why mention them at all in this context?
That’s an interesting thing about converts to anything.
Did the public school system respond to sex abuse scandals systematically by just moving the guilty teacher to another school and buying the student victim’s silence with money?
Uh … the Cristeros war occurred in Mexico?
Because it was the last attempt to stamp out the Catholic Church in the Western Hemisphere. Mexican citizens fought back, and faithful Catholics in the US should understand that the statists in the US are making an attempt to use federal law enforcement to intimidate and silence faithful Catholics in the US.
Yes, in the public school system it is called passing the trash. They pass the trash into a different school district and state legislators have put a very limited time limit on a criminal complaint against a public-school employee.
What a guy, what a guy!!!
Convenient! Still think we aren’t related?
Think Hopi/Navajo.
Think Vedic Indians (in the legends the good guys are the Devas, the bad guys the Asuras) and our close cultural cousins pre-Zoroastrian Iran (in whose legends the good guys were the Ahuras and bad guys the Daevas).
This dynamic is truly common.