My California public school education was filled with romanticized stories of the Spanish Missions. What we were taught was not accurate. The folks already living here were abused and enslaved. It comes as no surprise that people feel a lot of anger over the sainting of Junipero Serra, and that the Carmel Mission, where he is interred, was vandalized.
CBS5 shares the story.
The Mission says a statue of Serra and other historic statues in the courtyard were toppled. Photos posted on the Mission’s Facebook page show someone wrote “Saint of Genocide” on a stone.
On Friday, Pope Francis elevated Serra to sainthood. The 18th-century Spanish friar brought the Catholic faith to California
Many Native Americans say the missions cut their ancestors off from their traditional languages and cultures and enslaved those who converted to Christianity.