Mexican for whom '¡Viva Cristo Rey!' is life slogan wins Miss Universe contest

(OSV News) -- Shortly after being crowned Miss Universe, the victorious Mexican contestant Fatima Bosch Fernández stood alone on stage, clutching an enormous bouquet of flowers, shedding tears of joy and basking in the applause of an international audience.

She also expressed her Catholic faith as she made the sign of the cross and pointed to the sky.

Bosch, 25, became the fourth Mexican to win the Miss Universe title, taking the pageant held Nov. 21 in Bangkok. But she drew international attention from the start. Bosch confronted a pageant director, who called her "stupid" -- prompting her to lead a walkout of the contestants and forcing the director's removal.

"I liked that she raised her voice when she felt there was an injustice," Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Nov. 21, in comments congratulating Bosch. "The old adage 'you look prettier when you're quiet' is outdated. We look prettier when we speak and participate," the president added.

Bosch, a native of Tabasco state in southeastern Mexico, has spoken of being bullied as a child and struggling with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. But she graduated with a degree in fashion design from the Jesuit-run Iberoamerican University in Mexico City.

She also drew attention for unabashedly expressing her Catholic faith. Social media videos captured her shouting, "¡Viva Cristo Rey!" -- "Long live Christ the King!" -- as she stood in an elevator. In her Instagram and X biographies, she uses the same words -- once the battle cry of the Cristeros, who fought church persecution in Mexico a century earlier.

She posted a photo on X prior to the competition, featuring a photo laden with Catholic symbols: a picture of Mary, a pink rosary with a pink cross, an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe -- Mexico's patroness -- along with a Mexican flag and various snacks and candies.

"Because dreams come true, and because God willed it so," Bosch said in her introduction as a Miss Universe candidate.

Past Miss Universe winners have also expressed their Catholic faith. Sheynnis Palacios, representing Nicaragua, won the crown in 2023 -- setting off nationwide celebrations and drawing the disdain of the country's anti-Catholic dictatorship.

"When I say thanks, God, it is because this crown is not mine, it's for him," Palacios told ABS-CBN. "It's all for all the delegates and it's also for my country and my family."