“But he that shall persevere to the end, he shall be saved.” (Matthew 24:13).
Like their peers in America and Mexico, Spanish Catholics saw the onslaught of anti-Catholicism in the early 1900s. Much like faithful Mexican Catholics, Spanish Catholics faithful to the Church endured martyrdom for their adherence to the Faith and rejection of socialism.
The Secularization of Spain (1933)
The Church in Spain was an integral part of all aspects of Spanish life and culture. After a series of internal skirmishes, elections were held in 1931 with 19 of 26 parties winning seats in the Cortes Generales (Parliament). A new constitution was offered and rejected. There were two factions at odds over what direction the country should take. One side wanted to secularize the country with zero influence from the Catholic Church. The other desired the traditional arrangement with the Church as an integral component of Spanish society and public life. These factions worked out another constitution that would take five years for full implementation.
By 1936 Spain had been secularized with the demand for the separation between Church and State as the primary objective. The claim was that the Church had too much control of the government and society, “forcing” people to do her bidding. Once the left-wing coalition of the Second Republic seized control, they completely suppressed the Church and the people. The great hypocrisy of liberalism was then at play, for the liberals now committed the very type of oppression they had [falsely] claimed the Church was guilty of. This suppression did not go over well with much of the populace. A Nationalist resistance formed under the leadership of General Francisco Franco to restore the Church in Spain.
The Spanish Civil War (1936 – 1939)
The Spanish Civil War took place from 1936 to 1939. It was fought between the Republicans, who were loyal to the new and anti-Catholic ‘democratic’ government, and the Nationalists, who favored Spanish tradition. This group was led by General Francisco Franco. The Republicans of Spain, with their support of both abortion and Communism, have no similarity whatsoever with modern political parties who use this term.
The conflict began with a military uprising against the government in July 1936, led by Franco and supported by both conservative and fascist groups. The Republican government was backed by the Soviet Union and international brigades of volunteers from other countries who came to fight on the Republican side. The Nationalists were eventually victorious, and Franco established a government which lasted until his death in 1975.[1] In 1954, Franco and the bishops of Spain consecrated their nation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
The Spanish Civil War had a profound impact on Spain and the world, including the rise of nationalism in post-WWI Europe, the Second World War, and the spread of Communism. It also served as a proving ground for new military tactics and weapons that were later used in World War II. But what most history texts leave out is the impact this had on the Church and souls.
The Spanish Catholic Martyrs
The Spanish Catholic martyrs, also known as the Martyrs of the Spanish Civil War, were thousands of Catholic priests, religious, and laypeople who were killed during the Spanish Civil War for their faith and loyalty to the Catholic Church. The number of victims varies depending on the source, but it is estimated that tens of thousands of Catholics were killed during the conflict.[2] Many were executed by firing squad or died in prison after being tortured, while others were killed in bombings or other violent attacks. In a 2006 article, The Catholic Herald lamented the Spanish Catholic Martyrs:
“Unlike the martyrdom in most parts of the world, whole sectors of the religious community were liquidated. At least 6,832 priests and religious were martyred, including 13 bishops. The male religious martyred included 259 Claretians, 226 Franciscans, 204 Piarists, 176 Brothers of Mary, 165 Christian Brothers, 155 Augustinians, 132 Dominicans, and 114 Jesuits. The toll among the female orders was lower, but still shocking when we recall that these women could have had virtually nothing to do with the political struggle: 30 Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, 26 Carmelites of Charity, 26 Adoratrices, and 20 Capuchins, along with many others.”
In 1940, the Vatican began the process of beatifying some of the martyrs; and in 2007, Pope Benedict XVI approved the beatification of 498 of them, including 10 bishops, over 300 priests and seminarians, and more than 160 laypeople. The beatification ceremony was held on October 28, 2007, in St. Peter’s Square in Rome.
At the Beatification, Cardinal José Savaira Martins – Prefect of the Congregation of the Causes of the Saints – announced that November 6th has been established as the feast day for the Trinitarian Martyrs of the Spanish Civil War, as well as for the other 488 martyrs beatified on October 28. This was the largest mass beatification in the history of the Catholic Church.
The Collapse of Once-Catholic Spain
During the 1930s, the murder of innocent children in abortion was legalized in the area controlled by the Republicans, but this was short-lived, as Franco immediately outlawed abortion upon his rise to power. But after his death in 1975 and the transition from his successor, King Juan Carlos, to a democracy, abortion became legalized in 1985.
Back in 2004, when Pope Benedict XVI famously visited Spain, he met with the Socialist Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero who, since taking office in 2004 and until his departure in 2011, either adopted or discussed legislation in favor of same-sex marriages; fast-track divorces; curbing religious education in state schools; supporting embryonic stem-cell research; easing abortion laws; and reducing or eliminating public funding for the Church.
On July 3, 2005, Spain became one of the first formerly Catholic nations to legalize “gay” marriage.[3] In July 2009, Madrid posthumously stripped Franco of his title as honorary mayor and adopted son of the capital. And as of early 2023, Spain now permits 16 and 17-year-old girls to murder their unborn children.
The glory days of Spain with its fidelity to the Cross and its temporal success are long gone. The days of St. Ferdinand III and Queen Isabella, whose cause of canonization is underway, are in the distant past.
Restore Spain’s Catholicism
As devotees of Our Lady, we should note that if Pope Pius XI had consecrated Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary when God commanded this act (June 13, 1929), then the Spanish Civil War would never have taken place! Spain would not have lost its Catholic character and the horrors described above would not have transpired.
Nevertheless, we must do all that we can to restore to Spain and all nations laws which uphold Catholic Truth and Christian morality. And no nation that permits the slaughter of her innocents can ever be blessed by God. Alas, such nations only call down upon themselves divine chastisement that will surely be to their annihilation.
May we pray more Rosaries for the conversion of Spain back to the Catholic Faith. May Our Lady and the Spanish Catholic Martyrs intercede before the throne of God for this intention so that souls may be saved and mortal sins prevented.
ENDNOTES:
[1] A brief but excellent narrative covering the Spanish Civil War, from a Catholic and Fatima perspective, can be found in Chapters 7-9 of Fatima in Twilight by Mark Fellows. This book is available from The Fatima Center.
[2] Some sources estimate 350,000 Catholics were slaughtered in just six months of revolution (1936), including many bishops, priests, and nuns. For comparison’s sake, consider the number of U.S. Civil War deaths, especially since we know how much devastation that war caused. In four years, there were 224,000 Confederacy deaths and it took the South many decades to recover.
[3] The Bible, both directly and indirectly, condemns gay marriage in Genesis 19:1-24; Leviticus 18:22, 20:13; Mark 10:17-23; John 8:3-11; Romans 1:18-32, 3:23; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11; Galatians 6:1-5; 1 Timothy 1:9-10; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; James 3:2, 5:17. One key example: “Thou shalt not lie with mankind as with womankind, because it is an abomination.” (Leviticus 18:22, Douay-Rheims)