SPEECH BY ANACLETO GONZÁLEZ FLORES

"Many Catholics fail to grasp the gravity of the moment and, above all, the causes of the disaster; they are unaware of how the three great enemies—Protestantism, Freemasonry, and the Revolution—work tirelessly, driven by an alarming and well-organized program of action.

These three enemies are defeating Catholicism on every front, at every hour, and in every possible way. They wage battle in the streets, in public squares, in the press, in workshops, in factories, and in homes. It is a widespread conflict; they have drawn their swords and deployed their battalions everywhere. This is a fact. Christ does not reign in the public square, in schools, in parliament, in books, in universities, or in the public and social life of the Nation. It is the Devil who reigns there. In all those environments, one breathes the very breath of Satan.

And what do we do? We have contented ourselves with praying, going to church, and practicing a few acts of piety, as if that were enough 'to counter the immense conspiracy of God's enemies.' We have left everything else to them: the streets, the press, and the teaching posts at every level of education. In none of these places have they encountered serious opposition. And when we have acted, we have done so so poorly, so feebly, that it could be said we have not fought at all. We have sung in our churches, yet we have not sung to God in the schools, the public squares, or parliament, having sidelined Christ out of fear of the prevailing atmosphere.

To reduce Catholicism to secret prayer, to fearful complaint, to trembling and terror before public authorities—even as they kill the national soul and butcher the Nation in the open street—is not merely cowardice or excusable confusion; it is a historic, religious, public, and social crime that deserves utter execration.

....Souls are suffering from diminishment and anemia."  ...spiritual. We have become beggars, renouncing our role as masters of our own destinies. We have been driven out of everywhere, and we have abandoned everything.

Until now, most of us Catholics have done nothing but ask God to act, to work, to bring things about—to do something, or indeed everything, regarding the fate of the Church in our homeland. Consequently, we have limited ourselves to prayer, waiting for God to intervene. And all this under the guise of a supposed "prudence." We need the imprudence of Christian boldness.

Moreover, there are many Catholics who dare to label as imprudent anyone who asserts their rights in the face of their persecutors. This situation of isolation, estrangement, and national fragmentation must end once and for all. We must, without delay, seriously consider how we—the Catholics of our homeland—can cease being a mere heap of disconnected particles and instead become an immense body with a single program, a single head, a single mindset, and a single organizational banner to confront our persecutors.

Speech by Anacleto González Flores, martyr.