The Martyrs of the Spanish Civil War

This week on From the Housetops, Brother Matthew recounts the story of the Martyrs of the Spanish Civil War, whose witness rivals that of the early Church. While the 1930s are often remembered in the United States for the Great Depression, in Spain they were marked by brutal persecution of the Catholic faith. After the abdication of Alfonso XIII in 1931 and the establishment of the Second Spanish Republic, anti-religious laws intensified. Churches were burned, religious orders suppressed, clergy expelled, and public worship forbidden. During the war, thousands of priests, religious, and lay Catholics were imprisoned or killed simply for their faith; even carrying a rosary could mean death.

Political violence reached a breaking point with the murder of José Calvo Sotelo in July 1936, plunging Spain into three years of war. As persecution spread, entire dioceses, monasteries, and seminaries were destroyed, and more than 7,000 clergy lost their lives. Yet from this suffering emerged a powerful testimony of faith, men and women who chose Christ above all else. In 1987, Pope John Paul II beatified the first group of these martyrs, with thousands more recognized since. Their sacrifice reminds us that the Church endures through every trial, and that in every age God raises up witnesses ready to proclaim: Viva Cristo Rey.