Calles Law

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The Calles' Law or Law for Reforming the Penal Code was a reform of the penal code in Mexico under the presidency of Plutarco Elias Calles, which included stern punishment to violations of the strong restrictions against clerics and the Catholic church put forth by the Mexican Constitution of 1917.

Calles applied the existing anti-clerical laws stringently throughout the country and added his own anti-clerical legislation. In June 1926, he signed the "Law for Reforming the Penal Code", which became known unofficially as the "Calles Law". This provided specific penalties for priests and individuals who violated the provisions of the 1917 Constitution. For instance, wearing clerical garb in public (i.e., outside Church buildings) earned a fine of 500 pesos (approximately 250 U.S. dollars at the time); a priest who criticized the government could be imprisoned for five years. Some states enacted oppressive measures. Chihuahua, for example, enacted a law permitting only a single priest to serve the entire Catholic congregation of the state. Calles seized church property, expelled all foreign priests, closed the monasteries and convents and religious schools.

Among the provisiona, priests were fined for wearing clerical garb and could be imprisoned for five years for speaking out against the law. Priests were forced to marry.

The effects of the persecution on the Church were profound. Between 1926 and 1934 at least 40 priests were killed. Where there were 4,500 priests serving the people before the rebellion, in 1934 there were only 334 priests licensed by the government to serve fifteen million people, the rest having been eliminated by emigration, expulsion and assassination. By 1935, 17 states were left with no priest at all.

The resulting persecution led to the widespread uprisings by Catholic peasants called Cristero War 1926-1929.

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