The Cristero Party continues to move forward. Here are some updates:People are discovering the idea of a Catholic political party on their own. The unsteady state of the world in general—and of American politics in particular—continues to nudge people in the Cristero direction. I (Chris) have been tagged several times in posts by people suggesting that there needs to be a Catholic political party. There seems to be a growing swell among Catholics that more is needed.The Conversation is growing. There is still only a small team of us working on the website and building out what the party actually looks like. Andrew Orozco continues to edit articles and post them on The Conversation (our blog). We’ve also added a few new authors:
Connar Patrick Nolan is a friend of Andrew Orozco who studies Theology and History at Franciscan University. We are happy to have him on board. You can check out his recent piece on Trump’s war with Iran here. Also be sure to read his debut article, “Re-Establishing All Things in Christ,” here.
Joseph Freymann is a longtime friend of mine (Chris). Joe and I go way back. We taught theology together for nine years as colleagues in Los Angeles. His passion is apologetics, so we are thrilled to have him on the team. Here is his debut article. I have told him on several occasions that the discipline and practice of apologetics is political from start to finish. Apologetics is the defense of truth in the public square, with the goal of persuading the public to embrace the Catholic worldview. This is not only the historical origin of apologetics in the New Testament and the early Church; it is also what we are seeing with Catholic Answers in recent news. Just last month, Senator Ted Cruz shared an online article linking Catholic Answers’ “online assault on sola scriptura” with Catholic integralism. You can read their response, written by Joe Heschmeyer, here.
Trent Horn is a Catholic apologist at Catholic Answers. Trent does not shy away from politics. In fact, he often finds himself in the middle of political debates online, particularly in defense of the Church’s sexual ethics. My hope is that our partnership with him—and with Catholic Answers—continues to grow. As I mentioned above, Catholic apologetics is inherently political because it seeks to direct the public (and thus the polis) toward the truth of God’s reign over the world and over our lives. Trent’s “articles” are, for now, simply the scripts of his videos, which you can find on his YouTube channel here.
We are continuing to attract talented authors. Several new and exciting voices will be joining The Conversation in the weeks ahead. I’m excited to see what they publish and how they contribute.
Next, our partnership with New Polity is growing. I have spoken with Marc Barnes about my desire for New Polity to serve as the official (or unofficial) think tank of the Cristero Party. This simply means they are thinking outside the two-party system and are working to articulate a distinct political vision rooted in an authentic account of Catholic Social Teaching. They are our primary intellectual partner. We will be setting up a table at their conference this May 2026. You might have noticed our marketing their upcoming conference on the blog. We will have a tablecloth, business cards, and a trifold brochure to introduce people to the basic idea of the Cristero Party. Hopefully we will see some of you there! We’ll see what conversations arise and what level of interest is expressed. I’ll provide an update in the May newsletter.
Ben (our website and branding expert) and his team are working with me to add several new elements to the website. Here’s what we are developing:
- Cristero Rule of Life — This will be the heart of the Cristero Party. The inspiration for the Rule comes from my knowledge of the Benedictines and my experience in Opus Dei circles. St. Benedict’s Rule was one of the most consequential elements of the Benedictines’ influence on the West. In a similar way, the idea of Catholic politicians living by a unique Rule—precisely as politicians—came to me just before the idea of the Cristero Party itself. That conviction was solidified when I studied the life of Ecuadorian President Gabriel García Moreno (1821–1875). You can read his rule of life here (link). Many priests and religious live by a strict rule of life, but among the laity, perhaps no group has developed this more thoroughly than Opus Dei.
- How to Get Involved — People want to know how they can begin participating. This partly flows from the Cristero Rule of Life, which is where we invite people to start. It may also include writing for the blog, praying for the apostolate, and forming a Cristero Party chapter in your own town or state.
That’s the update for this month. Thank you so much for your prayers and support.
Long live Christ the King!
Jesus and Mary, be with us on the way.
C.G. Plance
