Viva Cristo Rey!
Remembering the Cristeros 100 Years Later
Rome to Mark the Centenary of the Cristero War with the International Conference “Viva Cristo Rey! — Centenary of the Cristero Struggle”
Over three days, scholars, researchers, and descendants of protagonists will examine the Cristero struggle, the religious and social world in which its protagonists were formed, and the witness of the Mexican martyrs.
ROME, September 2026. – From October 7 to 9, 2026, Rome will host the International Conference “Viva Cristo Rey! — Centenary of the Cristero Struggle,” an academic and spiritual commemoration of the centenary of the Cristero War organized by the Centro Cristianesimo e Società of the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, together with the Cátedra Anacleto González Flores. The gathering will bring together scholars, researchers, descendants of protagonists, and participants from different countries.
The Conference takes place within the commemoration opened by the bishops of Mexico, who on July 31 called for a “time of grateful remembrance and ecclesial discernment.” The first day, “Negotiating Peace,” will examine the Arreglos of 1929, the difficult negotiations that brought the armed phase of the conflict to an end, and their consequences.
The second day, “The Defense of the Faith through Devotion,” will pay particular attention to the religious and social world in which its protagonists were formed: the family, parishes, Catholic associations, religious congregations, Catholic education, and the formation of the laity, as well as the organized response to put the social teachings of Rerum Novaruminto practice. Spiritual exercises and devotions to Christ the King, the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and Our Lady of Guadalupe formed part of this religious and social ecosystem.
On October 9, the third and final day of the Conference, the reflection will focus on “The Meaning of Martyrdom” and the witness of the Mexican martyrs. The sessions will address a central question: what does it mean to be a martyr? A Christian martyr is not merely an innocent victim of violence: martyr means witness, someone who bears witness to Christ even when that witness requires the giving of one’s own life.
The question has acquired particular relevance following the celebration of St. Januarius in Naples on September 19, where the hope was expressed that next year the only blood that flows will be that of the saint, rather than that of the victims of war and violence. The image leads to the heart of the reflection: what makes shed blood the blood of martyrdom? Christian martyrdom is, above all, witness to Christ.
As part of the commemoration, a selection of relics, rare books, works preserving family accounts, and devotional objects related to the religious persecution and the Cristero period will travel from Mexico. The program will also include participation in the General Audience of the Holy Father, placing the experience of Mexican Catholics in dialogue with the universal memory of Christian martyrdom.
About the Cátedra Anacleto González Flores: an academic initiative dedicated to recovering, studying, and transmitting the historical, spiritual, and cultural heritage associated with Anacleto González Flores and Mexican Catholicism during the Cristero period.
Press contact:
Amado Martín Vázquez Martínez
Website / More information: anacletus.org