“Viva Cristo Rey!”
That rallying cry (which translates as “Long live Christ the King!”) was made by the Cristeros (soldiers of Christ) during the conflict in Mexico in the late 1920s. That war started a few years after the Mexican government outlawed religion in the 1917 constitution.
The film begins in 1926 when Mexican President Calles cracks down on churches and religious people, mostly Roman Catholics. The scenes of troops ransacking and destroying churches and summarily executing priests are difficult to watch at times.
The Cristeros enlist an agnostic general, Enrique Gorostieta Velarde, to help organize the resistance. Gorostieta, who is reluctant to join the fight at first, decides to lead the rebels because he believes in religious freedom.
The story is important to tell because many viewers have no idea what removal of religious liberty looks like. It is also important because the three-year war is largely unknown to most of the world. The war, which took 200,000 lives, was waged by the government and a truly grassroots peasant army.
“For Greater Glory” was made with the support of the Knights of Columbus. As many as 70 of them were killed in the fighting. Nine of them, along with 29 other martyrs, have been either beatified or canonized.
Within a few days after the war started, the Knights of Columbus condemned what was happening and soon thereafter met with United States President Calvin Coolidge.
They raised as much as $1 million for humanitarian aid to victims of the persecution, and seminaries were set up in the U.S. where displaced seminarians could continue their studies.
There are some big names in the movie, which stars Andy Garcia, Ruben Blades, Eva Longoria, and Peter O’Toole. But it is Mauricio Kuri who steals the show as the 13-year-old boy Jose who joins the ranks of the Cristeros and refuses to renounce his faith, even in the face of death.
While the acting is heavy handed at times and the score is intrusive, this film is important because it shows the power of faith in trying times.
“For Greater Glory” is available to rent.
Murphy can be reached at: [email protected]
A few months ago, I wrote about the early stages of the conflict in Ukraine through the lens of Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. While it appears likely that the war will carry on into the foreseeable future, enough time has passed for us to make an honest assessment of each side’s relative […]
The Ukrainian Army has made dramatic strides in the last few weeks. Ukraine’s tactical commanders have outfoxed their Russian counterparts, and by issuing a feint towards the south the UA has been able to earn substantial gains in the north of their country. The impact of these efforts have been compounded by the steady stream […]
In mid-May the Irish political party, Sinn Féin, won the plurality of seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly. Many American readers might not fully understand the significance of Sinn Féin’s political victory- but rest assured that subjects of the United Kingdom and a wide range of political movements the world over have heard the message […]
The first wave of the Russian offensive in Ukraine has fallen short of Russian autocrat Vladmir Putin’s ambitions. Most analysts deduced that Putin had hoped to achieve a decapitation strike of the Ukrainian government- taking Kiev and replacing Ukrainian President Vladimir Zolinski with a pro-Kremlin voice. Kiev has been threatened repeatedly through the course of […]
On the weekend of March 26th, the notorious MS-13 gang went on a massive killing spree in El Salvador which left more than 70 people dead by Sunday. Even for a country where powerful gangs hold massive sway, this recent tragedy stands out considering that it was the bloodiest day on record since the civil […]
