The best movie ever about that era of the Mexican government being at war with the priesthood was by John Ford and starred Henry Fonda.
It’s called the fugitive. This is one for no Christian to miss, catholic or not. But RCC people will very much enjoy it.
Ford filmed it in Mexico and was careful to say this was not about Mexico, even though it clearly was. But the way he did it is an example of what has happened to Christians of all stripes, in numerous countries.
A work of sheer genius.
I think the laws were finally repealed in the 1990s. One of the interesting laws was that a religious leader could not run for public office.
They had a bad history of state and government terribly comingled where the Church was the defacto government.
We were lucky to largely shake off the European ways. The Mexicans were stuck and have been locked in battle ever since. They went overboard in their response, but that place seems doomed to be stuck in ignorance and backwardness. And I think the church does thrive on that.
My main concern is that the ones who come here not be allowed to bring that thinking here.