Vatican pushes ahead with sainthood for missionary priest Junipero Serra
Despite growing resistance from some Native Americans and U.S. Catholics, the Vatican on Saturday (May 2) will host an event to celebrate the life of JunÃpero Serra, the Spanish missionary priest whom Pope Francis plans to canonize during his upcoming American tour.
n his role as a Franciscan friar, Serra is seen by the Holy See as playing a key role in bringing Christianity to the colony known as “New Spain,” which included California. But his detractors argue that Serra oversaw a brutal mission system, which ultimately led to the deaths of tens of thousands of Native Americans.
Steven W. Hackel, professor of history at the University of California, Riverside, and author of “Junipero Serra: California’s Founding Father,” said Serra led an “aggressive” campaign to secure mission territory for his fellow Franciscans....