Pope to Canonize Junipero Serra; Hero or Villain? William Bigelow - Breitbart
go to original January 22, 2015

Junipero Serra (Reuters)

The question of whether to canonize or not to canonize Father Junipero Serra has raged now that Pope Francis has decided to nominate Serra for sainthood. The dichotomy among Californians triggered by Serra’s nomination springs from significantly different viewpoints.

Those in favor of Serra’s nomination point to his efforts building missions and spreading Catholicism among the indigenous Native American tribes. Archbishop Jose Gomez, head of the archdiocese of Los Angeles, told the Los Angeles Times that Serra was one of his “spiritual heroes… It’s wonderful to think that this new saint once walked the road that is now the Hollywood Freeway and called it El Camino Real, ‘The King’s Highway.'”

Opponents of Serra’s canonization have inculcated their views in California schoolchildren in official textbooks. The current state-endorsed fourth grade state history version of Serra’s efforts reportedly states, “Before the Spanish arrived, the growth of the missions was tragic. Thousands of Indians died, and by the end of the 1800s much of the Indian way of life had died also.”

Chief Anthony Morales of the Gabrielino-Tongva Tribe, upset with the news of Serra’s prospective canonization, told KNBC Los Angeles, “There’s nothing saintly about the atrocities on our culture and our people. Our people were enslaved. They were beaten.”

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