is not fully known the performance of military chaplains Crusade for Liberation. Therefore not been assessed in perspective the work of a handful of men of God developed in the frontlines, spiritual comfort to soldiers, assisting in the last moments when life surrenders to the Creator, in hospitals and in the trenches, behind the lines themselves and in no mans land at the side of the enemy itself and when requested, without discrimination, regardless of the danger and, often giving one's life in the company to save the soul neighbor.
If in the previous article referred to a chaplain of the Falange, this one I intend to honor those that quintessential Chaplains have been most appreciated and requested by the fighting units, the Jesuits, the followers of that captain of Spain who was Ignatius of Loyola.
Since its founding company members accompanied the various armies to carry out its mission desinterasada: Parents Lainez and Nadal in the campaign in Africa against pirate Blackbeard in 1550, the parents Montoya, Nadal or the unforgettable Cristobal Rodriguez Lepanto in 1571, Alexander and Maurice Parent Serpe in Alcazarquivir in 1578, twenty Jesuits in the Armada of those who disappeared four in 1588, Father Juan Fernandez on the site of Maastricht in 1579, the Fathers Gabriel de la Vega and Francisco Villegas in Araucania between 1597 and 1656, and Parent and Rosales Astorga, accompanied the army of Paraguay in the services rendered to Spain Parents Smet, Hubert or Gache in the American Civil War from 1861 and 1865, Padres Cappa, Antonio Salazar, Francisco Fernandez, Gaspar Tovia in different South American wars: Pacific, of the Thousand Days or the Chaco, in the various wars of the French Empire, Magdeburg, Algeria, Sevastopol until the defeat in war Franco Prussian war of 1870, the First World War with the Padres Lenoir, Doyle, Deat and many others who, among other awards were granted 2 for Distinguished Service 13 Military Crosses, 3 Orders of the British Empire, etc.. 2279 In 1917 Jesuits were mobilized, which means that one in eight Jesuit order was in the battle fronts of Europe, killing a total of 41.
participated in the Crusade a hundred framed in all weapons and targets, too numerous to refer their names here but to highlight the Third Marticorena Padres San Ignacio, Latasa of Requetes, Ortiz de Zarate of Phalangist Sagardía Column , Ilundain of the 8 th Flag of the Legion Allendesalazar of the 6 th Bandera of the Legion and finally the most famous and emblematic, whose adventures have been collected in various works that can be viewed, Father Joseph Knight of the 10th Bandera of the Legion, Military Medal, to suffer for the Fatherland War Cross and the Red Cross Campaign and proposed twice to the Laureate, and Father Fernando Huidobro of the 4 th Flag of the Legion Highlander birth, the sixth of nine children and lived in exile after the expulsion of the Jesuits and the plundering of their property by the mob-front. He returned to Spain at the beginning of the race to offer their services on the front lines taking part in the University City and the Hospital's defense, most advanced and critical point of national progress towards the capital, scene of hellish events such as the Clinical blast through mines where they were buried by tens Legionnaires without yielding an inch of land and rejecting all attacks cells that followed the explosions and subsequent artillery attacks. Moncho attended the lieutenant who gave his life in these actions which earned him the Laureate of San Fernando Cruz was finally wounded and removed from the front.
The head of the 4 th Bandera declared 10 years later: "I can never forget the figure of our Chaplain at the time, with the crucifix in hand, as always, armed only multiplying its activity, absorbed compliance of their sacred ministry. His serenity was so escepcional, which gave me the feeling that the man was completely unaware of this terrible fight and so constant that danger. "
still not recovered joins the flag that had been transferred to industry Jarama. On April 11, 1937 after days of heavy bombardment is commanded by Commander Iniesta to retreat to the kit to meet there with the wounded and to enforce the order was killed by being hit by a shell of 12.40 when was within the cabinet. He was 34 years.
not be fair to end without mentioning other Jesuits and the 25 French who died in the European campaign in World War II, the Italians Parents Messori, Lega Apolloni, Lorenzi, Fossati, Leoni and others, the Germans Parents Delp, Koller, Neumann, Gross, Gockell, Goll, and others who framed the resistance against the Germans or the Americans as Charles O `Neill, Father O'Callahan, Father Hogan, where one in five Jesuits in the country was on the front.
Finally, remember that the only weapon that these men carried on the battle fronts was the Cross.
