Cristero War: Encyclopedia II - Cristero War - Peaceful resistance

Cristero War - Peaceful resistance

In response to these measures, Catholic organizations began to intensify their resistance. The most important of these groups was the National League for the Defense of Religious Liberty, founded in 1924. This was joined by the Mexican Association of Catholic Youth (founded 1913) and the Popular Union, a Catholic political party founded in 1925.

On July 11, 1926, the Mexican bishops voted to suspend all public worship in Mexico in response to the Calles Law. This suspension was to take place on August 1. On July 14, they endorsed plans for an economic boycott against the government, which was particularly effective in west-central Mexico (the states of Jalisco, Guanajuato, Aguascalientes, Zacatecas). Catholics in these areas stopped attending movies and plays and using public transportation and Catholic teachers stopped teaching in secular schools.

However, this boycott collapsed by October 1926, in large part due to lack of support among wealthy Catholics, who were themselves losing money due to the boycott. The wealthy were generally disliked because of this, and the reputation was worsened when they paid the federal army for protection and called on the police to break the picket lines.

The Catholic bishops meanwhile worked to have the offending articles of the Constitution amended. The Pope explicitly approved this means of resistance. However, the Calles government considered this seditious behavior and had many churches closed. In September the episcopate submitted a proposal for the amendment of the constitution, but this was rejected by Congress on September 22, 1926.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Peaceful resistance", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki