Mexico, the Catholic Church & the rise of the cartel cults

Mexico, the Catholic Church & the rise of the cartel cults

From Holy Smoke by The Spectator

June 8, 2026 · 28 min

About this episode

Fr. Alexander Lucie-Smith joins Damian Thompson to discuss the relationship between Mexico's drug cartels and the Catholic Church, exploring the fusion of Catholic and pagan beliefs amidst violence and corruption.

Friend of Holy Smoke Fr. Alexander Lucie-Smith joins Damian Thompson to talk about the complicated relationship between the drug cartels in Mexico and the Catholic Church. The violence of the cartels has led to a flourishing of shrines – and also cults – which have seen Catholic and pagan beliefs fuse together, and which are not always condemned by all church leaders. What motivates the Mexicans who turn to these beliefs? And what does Mexico tell us about corruption across the wider Church? Produced by Patrick Gibbons. Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more. For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts . Contact us: podcast@spectator.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

People in this episode

Host: Damian Thompson

Guest: Fr. Alexander Lucie-Smith

Topics covered

  • drug cartels
  • Catholic Church
  • cults
  • Mexico
  • corruption
  • religious beliefs
  • violence

Keywords

  • cartels
  • Catholicism
  • Mexico
  • cults
  • shrines
  • violence
  • corruption
  • religion

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Catholic Church, The Spectator, Acast

Places: Mexico

More episodes of Holy Smoke

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Holy Smoke podcast page.