Pope Leo XIV Grants Mexico a Cristero Jubilee Year
Bishops opened a year of conversion honoring Mexico’s Cristero martyrs; a plenary indulgence will be proclaimed on the Solemnity of Christ the King.
On Monday, November 9, 2026, at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the bishops of Mexico announced that Pope Leo XIV had accepted their request for a Jubilee Year marking the centenary of the start of the Cristero Resistance. The announcement came during the Mass that opened the 121st Plenary Assembly of the Mexican Episcopal Conference (CEM), presided over by Bishop Ramón Castro Castro of Cuernavaca, the conference president.
The Jubilee's motto is “His faith, our memory; his witness, our mission.” It will honor the Mexican martyrs and the families who kept the faith alive during the religious conflict that followed the entry into force of the Calles Law in 1926.
Prayer for the Suffering and a Call to Conversion
Before the image of Holy Mary of Guadalupe, the bishops entrusted to prayer families who have lost a loved one to violence, those who live under threat, and those still searching for their missing relatives. Speaking of those threatened for proclaiming the Gospel and serving their people, Bishop Castro said: “You are not alone... defending God’s house means defending life, justice, truth and the dignity of our brothers and sisters.” He added: “We do not want this to be a historical anniversary, nor one more commemoration. We want it to be a true time of conversion.”
Indulgence, Churches, and Pilgrimage
On November 22, the Solemnity of Christ the King, bishops in every diocese will read the decree of the Apostolic Penitentiary granting a plenary indulgence, which opens the Jubilee. Each bishop will name the jubilee churches of his diocese and the activities planned to remember the Mexican martyrs. The Jubilee ends on November 21, 2027.
The faithful may make pilgrimage to any jubilee church, to the Sanctuary of Christ the King on Cerro del Cubilete, or to a Mexican sanctuary dedicated to the martyrs. The decree states that those who are “truly repentant and moved by charity” and who meet the usual conditions—sacramental confession, Eucharistic communion, and prayer for the Pope’s intentions—may obtain the indulgence, which may also be offered for the faithful departed. At the pilgrimage site, the faithful may take part in the jubilee rites or devote time to reflection, prayer, or other works of piety.
The centenary thus becomes not only a remembrance of heroic witness under persecution, but an invitation to renew fidelity to Christ the King in the life of the Church in Mexico today.