The Pope Makes a Mistake

[rug]

Fr. Junipero Serra O.F.M.

2/6/15
Peter d'Errico
Peter d’Errico graduated from Yale Law School in 1968. He was Staff attorney in Dinebeiina Nahiilna Be Agaditahe (DNA) Navajo Legal Services in Shiprock, NM from 1968-1970. He taught Legal Studies at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, 1970-2002. He is a consulting attorney on indigenous issues.

Just when we thought the Papacy might be ready to confront its historical role in dispossessing and dominating indigenous peoples around the world, Pope Francis decides to carry forward the process started by John Paul II to make a saint of the man who founded the infamous California Indian missions in the 18th century.

Pope Francis announced this month he intends to canonize Father Junipero Serra during the Papal visit to the United States later this year. Pope John Paul II beatified Serra in 1987 — the first step leading to a declaration of sainthood.

According to the Virtual Museum of the City of San Francisco, the Franciscan Order appointed Serra, at the age of 54 in 1767, to oversee missions in California. The appointment followed the Spanish Emperor's expulsion of the Jesuit Order from Spanish colonies. Serra arrived at San Diego in 1769, and, with the exception of one journey to Mexico, spent the remainder of his life there. He died at San Carlos Borromeo Mission of Carmel, near Monterey, in 1784, at the age of 71.

A brother Franciscan monk, Serra's disciple and companion, compiled a record of Serra's activity in California. According to an 1862 report about this biography, Serra was "even- tempered, temperate, obedient, zealous, kindly in speech, humble and quiet. …he had no quarrels and made no enemies." On the other hand, the report portrays Serra as extremely removed from ordinary life: "Earth for its own sake, had no joys for him…. Laughter was inconsistent with [his] terrible responsibilities…. Not a joke or a jovial action is recorded of him. … Art or poetry never served to sharpen his wits, lighten his spirit, or solace his weary moments."

http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2015/02/06/pope-makes-mistake

http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/people/s_z/serra.htm

http://www.sfmuseum.net/bio/jserra.html

[okasha]

1. Wrong saint, wrong time, wrong place.

I think that Francis, more aware than most of the concentration of Catholic populations in the Americas, is actively seeking to promote saints from the Americas. Serra is a poor choice, though, for all the reasons stated in the article. He'd do better to choose someone who advocated for indigenous peoples, or an indigenous Catholic like Kateri Tekakwitha.

[rug]

2. Agreed.

I grew up in a Dominican parish and there was a Blessed Martin de Porres Guild. I don't remember exactly what they did but I read a lot about him. It was very satisfying when he was canonized by John XXIII.



http://www.martindeporres.org/about.htm

The Church needs to emulate those who practiced humility and not those who engaged in triumphalism.

[okasha]

3. San Martin is much beloved in Hispanic America,

for his gentleness, humility and love of all living creatures. A popular choice among religious candles here shows him in a kitchen, gazing fondly down at a cat, a small dog and a mouse sharing a bowl of milk. I once named a rescue kitten Martin Francis because he needed all the help he could get.

If the Pope was looking for a Latin American missionary saint, either de las Casas or Sahagun would have been a far better choice.