 It strengthened the anticlericalism of the previous document, but President Carranza and his successor, General Alvaro Obregón, were preoccupied by their internal enemies and were lenient in enforcing the Constitution's anticlerical articles, especially in areas in which the Church was powerful.The Calles administration felt that the Church was challenging its revolutionary initiatives and legal basis.To destroy the Church's influence over the Mexicans, anticlerical laws were instituted, which started a ten-year religious conflict that resulted in the death of thousands of armed civilians against an armed professional military that was sponsored by the government.