Viva Cristo Rey

In the early 20th century the Church in Mexico underwent fierce persecution when the government outlawed the faith.  Thanks to the brave faithful, both laity and clergy, who become known as "cristeros" (soldiers for Christ) and valiantly fought for their freedom, the faith still exists in Mexico today.  Many martyrs came from this tragic circumstance including Bl. Miguel Pro, who I've mentioned before here, who was a priest during the war which lasted from 1926-1929.  He was martyred in 1927 when he was captured by the government and put before a firing squad.  Before his death he prayed, forgave his executioners and stretched his arms in the form of a cross proclaiming the mantra of the cristeros, "Viva Cristo Rey" (Long live Christ the King).  There were also many other martyrs throughout the cristeros war including members of the Knights of Columbus, many of whom were beatified by Bl. John Paul II in 2000.  There are some really inspiring stories of some of the priests who were martyred here which I encourage you to quickly read.  The stories of lay people also being martyred are quite numerous including the story of Servant of God Maria de la Luz Camacho, who was martyred on the back end of the persecution in 1934.  Her story is published in Saintly Women of Modern Times by Joan Carroll Cruz which shares that drunk and hostile men approached a church in which children were attending Mass, Maria and some other women stood between the men and the doors to prevent the men from entering.  The men shot her and the other women on the steps of the church as she also exclaimed, "Viva Cristo Rey!". 

The cristeros war is the subject of a movie to be released in the U.S. this June called "Cristiada" which has been endorsed by the Knights of Columbus.  The synopsis of the movie from the website is:

A chronicle of the Cristeros War (1926-1929), which was touched off by a rebellion against the Mexican government's attempt to secularize the country.  The film follows the stories of ordinary people from across the country who choose to stand up for their freedom.  Caught up in a full-fledged civil war, they all must decide how far they are willing to go and what they're willing to risk.

The cast includes star of Bella, Eduardo Verastegui.  Enjoy the trailer here: