Movimiento Ciudadano Funds Masculinity Congress Organized by Disciples of Pedophile Priest

ByÁlvaro Delgado Gómez

This article by Álvaro Delgado Gómez originally appeared in the April 16, 2026 edition of Sin Embargo. The views expressed in this article are the authors’ own and do not necessarily reflect those of Mexico Solidarity Media or the Mexico Solidarity Project.

The Catholic order Legionaries of Christ and the Regnum Christi lay movement, founded by the pedophile priest Marcial Maciel Degollado, propose to recover “masculine identity” and create “virtuous men” at the congress to be held between April 17 and 19 at the Sanctuary of the Martyrs in Tlaquepaque, Jalisco, exactly one hundred years after the beginning of the Cristero War in Mexico. Under the protection of the Church hierarchy and governments of the Movimiento Ciudadano (MC) party, the congress will bring together more than 10,000 members of the conservative elites of Latin America.

The Fearless Congress— “masculinity without fear”—features actors Eduardo Verástegui and Jonathan Roumie, as well as former soccer players Carles Puyol and Ricardo Izecson “Kaká,” as its main speakers, and is organized by disciples of Marcial Maciel, condemned by the Vatican itself as a criminal of sexual crimes: The executive director is Andrés Villaseñor Urrea, a prominent member of Regnum Christi, and the spiritual director is Ignacio Bello, a priest of the Legionaries of Christ, who is in charge of at least a dozen priests from that controversial order who are participating in the event.

All the institutions convening this congress are linked to the Legionaries of Christ—whose founder sexually abused at least 60 minors and 32 other priests of the congregation did so with at least another 175—among them the Anáhuac university network, Regnum Christi, founded by Maciel Degollado to bring together lay people with priests, and the Family Network, which brings together ultraconservative associations, whose official website complains in English about restrictions on freedom of expression, such as Sabina Berman’s interview with Verástegui that was not broadcast in public media.

“The largest masculinity congress in Latin America,” as it is promoted and whose tickets cost up to 7,490 pesos, has as its “spiritual guides” the Archbishop of Guadalajara, Francisco Robles Ortega, and the Prefect of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life and Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church in the Vatican, Kevin Farrell, but it is also supported by political power: The Government of Jalisco, headed by Pablo Lemus, as well as the city councils of Guadalajara and Zapopan, all from the Movimiento Ciudadano political party, appeared from the beginning as sponsors, alongside businessmen such as Carlos Álvarez Bermejillo, owner of the pharmaceutical company Grupo Pisa.

Following criticism on social media, the logos of the three government entities were removed. Photo: Screenshot

Only when journalist Jonathan Lomelí proved that the Mayor of Guadalajara, Verónica Delgadillo, donated 400,000 pesos to Villaseñor Urrea —180,000 to pay for the speakers’ fees, lodging and travel expenses; 120,000 pesos for infrastructure and equipment for the venue; 60,000 pesos for an advertising campaign; and 40,000 pesos for security— did the official emblems of the authorities disappear from the event’s official website.

It is not uncommon in Jalisco for politicians to use public money to court the Church and its ministers: The venue where the congress will be held, the Sanctuary of the Martyrs, began construction in Tlaquepaque in 2007, with resources from the state treasury: The PAN governor Emilio González Márquez, a sworn member of the secret organization El Yunque, announced in March of that year a donation of 90 million pesos to begin construction of the project, which he defined as an investment.

In front of the then archbishop Juan Sandoval Íñiguez, the driving force behind the project, the PAN member González Márquez stated: “Without ignoring that this project has spiritual objectives for those who promote it, the state government sees the possibility of a great economic boost in the capital of our state.”

Former governor Emilio González is a sworn member of the secret organization El Yunque. Photo: Cuartoscuro

The PAN governor was harshly criticized by sectors in Jalisco, and more than 5,000 complaints were filed with the State Human Rights Commission (CEDH). He dismissed the complaints, saying, “I don’t give a damn,” and then, in a drunken state and in front of Cardinal Sandoval Íñiguez, he insulted his critics: “Say what you want. Excuse me, Cardinal: go fuck yourselves!”

Nineteen years after that episode, which is commemorated this April 24, the Sanctuary of the Martyrs houses the 25 combatants of the Cristero War 1926-1929 who have been declared saints and blessed, and will now be the setting for the disciples of the pedophile Marcial Maciel to meet to recover masculinity.

“We are living through a silent crisis: men confused, empty, and disconnected from their purpose. Masculine identity has weakened, leaving profound questions: Am I enough? Do I have what it takes?” he states as the reason for the congress.

Mayor Verónica Delgadillo and Governor Pablo Lemus. Photo: Instagram @verodelgadillog

“But this crisis doesn’t have the last word. There is still hope. Fearless was born as a call to reclaim your true identity, rise up with courage, and live with purpose,” he states.

Thus, with the full support of the organizations founded by the pedophile Marcial Maciel, the organizers explain how this movement, which now has a congress, emerged: “Starting from the attack on masculinity and the need for virtuous men… with our personal needs, life stories and wounds, we sought a path of healing that we share with our friends by doing retreats, workshops, bootcamps and now… a congress!”