ACI Prensa Staff, Jan 3, 2024 / 18:40 pm (CNA).
With the theme “We ask for citizen participation, we demand religious freedom,” thousands of young Catholics are preparing to make a pilgrimage Jan. 17 to the monument to Christ the King situated on 8,900-foot Cubilete Hill in the Mexican state of Guanajuato.
According to Andrea Perea, president of the organizing movement Witness and Hope, the 42nd National Youth March is presented as a manifestation of devotion and civic commitment.
“This year, in addition to being a pilgrimage where we present the fruits of our work to the Lord, we also want it to be a march where we make our presence there a sign that the Catholic also counts,” Perea told ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner.
The leader of the Catholic movement emphasized that this is intended to be “a call to Catholics for their responsibility in the face of the reality in the country.”
“The demand [for religious freedom] is because of the love we have for our nation; we seek to engender confidence in young Mexicans, reminding them that Catholics must also be responsible for their environment,” she added.
Likewise, Perea explained that the march seeks to bring together adolescents and young people “to work together to build the kingdom of God,” being an annual reminder that “Mexico continues to be an ideal place for young Catholics.”
The pilgrimage will go to the monument of Christ the King, an imposing 75-foot statue that crowns Cubilete Hill, erected in 1950 in tribute to the martyrs of the Cristero War.
In 1926, the Cristero War, which lasted until 1929, broke out in Mexico due to the religious persecution that Catholics suffered in the country under the government of President Plutarco Elías Calles. The regime killed not only those who took up arms to defend their faith but also leaders who peacefully expressed in public their opposition to the anticlerical laws enacted by Calles.
Despite the government’s repression, the Cristero resistance was noted for its battle cry of “Long live Christ the King!” and “Long live the Virgin of Guadalupe!”
As in previous years, a large participation of young people from all over the country is expected. According to Perea, this year’s goal is to break the 2020 record of 45,000 young people.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
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