New Book Offers Theological Reflection On Cristero Rebellion In Mexico
Os Justi Press is offering a new book that recounts heroism of Mexican lay Catholics.
Author and Catholic priest, Fr. Javier Olivera Ravasi, has published his new book The Cristero Counterrevolution and the Battle for the Soul of Mexico, which is available in English and Spanish.
The Argentine historian and professor kicked off the publication with a book signing at the parish of Santísimo Cristo de la Victoria in Madrid, Spain.
Olivera Ravasi, a co-founder of the Order of Saint Elias, is known for his defence of Catholic tradition and his work in disseminating information about Hispanic Christianity. The new book delves into one of the most decisive episodes of 20th-century religious persecution: the rebellion of Catholics against the atheist government of revolutionary Mexico. Using material from famed French historian Jean Meyer and fellow Argentine Fr. Alfredo Saenz, the priest presents the Cristero War as a confrontation between two worldviews: the Catholic, patriotic worldview deeply rooted in Mexican and Hispanic identity, and the revolutionary, Masonic and secularist ideology that has ruled Mexico for decades and sought to tear the faith from the soul of the people.
Fr. Olivera Ravasi is a parochial vicar at Our Lady Star of the Sea parish in San Francisco, and is also associated with the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Wisconsin where he is involved in ministry to Spanish-speaking Catholics.
The book contends that the struggle can only be fully understood within a theology of history, which distinguishes between the City of God and the earthly city, as described by Saint Augustine. Radical anti-Christian sentiment, expressed even in sacrilegious slogans by the revolutionaries, reveals a spiritual undercurrent that transcends mere politics. It remains alive even today: Mexico is largely a lawless country where narcotics cartels openly assassinate dissident politicians, priests, and citizens with little resistance from the national government led by President Claudia Sheinbaum.
A Parallel with Other Catholic History
The book emphasises that the Cristero resistance was not an isolated phenomenon. In his prologue in the Spanish edition, Fr. Santiago Cantera Montenegro, O.S.B.—former prior-administrator of the Abbey of the Holy Cross of the Valley of the Fallen in Spain—recalls that the courage of Mexican Catholics is echoed by the martyrs of the Vendée during the French Revolution, brutally crushed by those who proclaimed themselves defenders of liberty, such as Napoleon Bonaparte. Cantera also highlights the parallels between the Cristeros and the Carlist resistance to the Spanish Republic during Spain’s civil war (1936-1939). The latter often cried, "Long live Christ the King!" just as the Mexican martyrs of the Cristero War.
The Cristero Counterrevolution combines a solid historical study with a doctrinal background that guides the reader toward spiritual growth. The clarity with which the author presents the facts and the power of the martyrdom testimonies make this book a valuable resource for many souls. Among them stands out the figure of the young Cristero, Saint José Sánchez del Río, whose unwavering fidelity unto martyrdom moves and inspires a firmer commitment to Christ. The journey through the Cristero War, illuminated by examples of total surrender like that of the young Mexican martyr, offers not only historical knowledge but also encouragement to live the faith more coherently in times of confusion. One of the interesting facts that emerges from the book is that all of the Catholic bishops of Mexico, save two, left the country during the war abandoning their flock to peril posed by atheist revolutionaries. The result has been devastating for the Church in Mexico, Fr. Olivera Ravasi argues.
Fr. Olivera Ravasi, PhD graduated as a lawyer from Buenos Aires Law University (UBA). In 2002 he entered the seminary, and after concluding his first years of formation,he received a doctorate in Philosophy from the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome (2007) to receive priestly ordination a year later. He received a doctorate in History from the Universidad del Cuyo, and is a Professor in Legal and Social Sciences. He is a regular lecturer and professor in the fields of philosophy, history and classical languages. He is the author of twelve books and several articles published in national and foreign publications. He is a Full Member of the Juan Manuel de Rosas Historical Research Institute. He writes at the website, quenotelacuenten.org(QNTLC).