A Saint With A Mixed History: Junipero Serra's Canonization Raises Eyebrows

The name Junipero Serra is well known in California: schools and streets are named in his honor and statues of the 18th century Spanish missionary still stand. But Native American activists are far less enamored with the friar, saying Serra was actually an accomplice in the brutal colonization of natives. And they object to Pope Francis' recent announcement that he will canonize Serra when he travels to the U.S. this fall.

Addressing the controversy, Francis X. Rocca, Rome bureau chief for Catholic News, told NPR that Pope Francis has made a point of canonizing famous evangelizers.



from Rhode Island Public Radio http://ift.tt/1yyIdgQ