Claretian Martyrs Inspire a Movie

The Claretians have always held close to their hearts the painful yet inspiring incident of the imprisoned and ultimately martyred Claretians in Barbastro, Spain during the Spanish Civil War. This story of tremendous emotion and faith has been written and shared widely among the Claretians since its occurrence nearly a hundred years ago.

Now the story is shared more broadly with the world in a medium understood by so many: a major motion picture. Spanish Director Pablo Moreno’s film, “Un Dios Prohibido” (“A Forbidden God”), takes place in the summer of 1936 in the small community of Barbastro. The movie recounts the story of 51 Claretians, most of them seminarians, in the weeks of their captivity before they were shot to death by militants for refusing to renounce their faith. The seminarians stood strong in the face of relentless duress during their imprisonment.

Director Moreno was moved to make the film by the profound message of love and forgiveness left by the Claretian martyrs, who clung to and honored their faith during a time of crisis. Similarly, during the making of the movie, one of the actors noted that his life was positively influenced by the courage and ideals of the Claretian martyrs.

U.S. Claretian Provincial Superior Fr. Rosendo Urrabazzo, CMF saw the film at a special showing in Rome last year for the Claretians. The U.S. Claretians were asked to assist in writing the English subtitles for the Spanish film. “I hope we will continue to look to the Martyrs of Barbastro as an evangelizing moment to speak about a Gospel worth dying for,” says Fr. Rosendo, “and a way of life worth imitating.”

The film became a number one hit in Spain last year, was presented at World Youth Day last summer in Brazil, and was released in the U.S. in December.