Pope canonises 18th-century missionary; not everyone happy
WASHINGTON — In the first canonisation on US soil, Pope Francis has elevated to sainthood an 18th-century missionary who brought Catholicism to the American West Coast.
WASHINGTON — In the first canonisation on US soil, Pope Francis has elevated to sainthood an 18th-century missionary who brought Catholicism to the American West Coast.
Pope Francis canonised Friar Junipero Serra — now Saint Serra — this morning (Sept 24, Singapore time) during a Mass in Washington.
Saint Serra was a Franciscan friar who marched north from Baja California with Spanish conquistadors, establishing nine of the 21 missions in what is now California.
The canonisation was polarising. Saint Serra is revered by Catholics for his missionary work, and many Latinos in the US view his canonisation as a badly needed acknowledgment of Hispanics’ role in the American church. But many Native Americans say Saint Serra enslaved converts and contributed to the spread of disease that wiped out indigenous populations.
In July, Pope Francis issued a broad apology for the church’s sins against indigenous peoples. AP
Stay in the know. Anytime. Anywhere.
Subscribe to get daily news updates, insights and must reads delivered straight to your inbox.
By clicking subscribe, I agree for my personal data to be used to send me TODAY newsletters, promotional offers and for research and analysis.
