Serra Canonization By Pope Francis Sparks Outrage From Native Americans Who Say Friar Annihilated Indigenous Populations

On Tuesday, the day before Pope Francis was set to officiate the canonization of Junípero Serra, Native American activists met in Washington D.C. in a final attempt to change the pope’s mind and put a stop the canonization.

A press conference was held ahead of the scheduled Wednesday canonization of Friar Serra, during which many Native American activists and advocates took turns voicing their disgust at the impending canonization, reports the National Catholic Reporter. Valentin Lopez, chairman of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band, was just one of the many who took the stage at Plymouth Congregational United Church of Christ to recount the alleged brutality faced by California Indians at the hands of Friar Serra during his mission work.

“[T]he missions were brutal on Native Americans. Fr. Serra was the one who developed the mission system, [with the] intent to destroy the culture of the Native Americans.”

Lopez continued his speech, saying that by going forward with Serra’s canonization, Pope Francis has “opened the door to the church’s dark and tragic history of its dealing with California Indians.” He also added that his tribe had written four letters to Pope Francis, beginning in 2013, regarding Serra’s canonization and his inhumane treatment of Native Americans, but that the pope “ignored our letters.”

Lopez’s tribe wasn’t the only one to write letters to the pope opposing the canonization. In fact, according to NCR, a total of 55 tribes have written him letters, and an online petition has gathered more than 10,000 signatures. The letters and petition detailed the horrors that Native Americans in Friar Serra’s missions had to endure. These horrors, according to a letter read allowed at the press conference, written by Native American advocate Suzan Shown Harjo, included total annihilation of certain indigenous populations, imprisonment, the spreading of disease, and the enslaving of Native American converts.

“These Papal Bulls and the Doctrine of Discovery have sanctioned land thefts and dehumanization of Native Peoples from the 15th Century to the present time. Father Serra embodied the Catholic Church’s institutional disrespect for Native Peoples’ religions, sovereignty, families, languages, laws, treaties, boundaries, ways and lives, and should not be elevated to sainthood for his actions.”

According to reports by the Daily Mail, however, Pope Francis defended Serra’s actions in his sermon during the canonization, stating that Serra was dedicated to “defend[ing] the indigenous peoples against abuses by the colonizers.”

“He was excited about blazing trails, going forth to meet many people, learning and valuing their particular customs and ways of life. Junípero sought to defend the dignity of the native community, to protect it from those who had mistreated and abused it. Mistreatment and wrongs which today still trouble us, especially because of the hurt which they cause in the lives of many people.”

In order to perform Serra’s canonization while in the United States — the first ever performed in the nation — Pope Francis eliminated the usual prerequisite for sainthood, namely showing proof that the potential saint had performed two miracles.

Does Junípero Serra deserve his canonization? Sound off below.

[Image Credit: Mark Wilson/Getty Images]