Footnote

c Some Catholic priests actually fought in Franco’s armies. The parish priest of Zafra, Extremadura, was especially notorious for his brutality. On the other hand, a few priests bravely protested the killing of suspected Republican sympathizers​—and at least one was executed for this reason. Cardinal Vidal y Barraquer, who tried to maintain an impartial position throughout the conflict, was obliged by Franco’s government to remain in exile until his death in 1943.