Don't Back False Claims About St Junipero Serra, Catholics Ask California Governor

Catholic News Agency ^ | 9/10/21 | Kevin J. Jones

[marshmallow]

Misleading claims about St. Junipero Serra have made their way into a bill sent to California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk, drawing concerns and objections from several Catholic leaders who say the errors shouldn’t stand amid debate about statues of the pioneering Spanish Franciscan missionary.

After vandals knocked down a decades-old statue of Serra on the grounds of the California capitol last year, the Democratic-controlled state legislature passed a bill to remove a place for the Franciscan missionary saint and instead place a Native American statue on the grounds.

“The California Catholic Conference supports the intention of A.B. 338 to create a monument that represents and honors the Native peoples of California,” Kathleen Domingo, executive director of the California Catholic Conference, told CNA Sept. 3. “We recognize the immense contributions of the Native peoples and the terrible hardships they have endured. The support for our Native peoples need not come at the cost of spreading false information about St Junipero Serra.”

However, the Catholic conference said it “strongly objects” to the legislature’s findings presented in the bill about St. Junipero Serra and the mission system.

“Credible historians do not support the findings made in this bill, which are highly offensive and not historically accurate,” Domingo said. “The native peoples of California suffered a ‘genocide’ beginning in 1851 under California Governor Peter Burnett. This is a horrific part of our state’s history and a terrible tragedy for our Native brothers and sisters. This began long after Junipero Serra’s death in 1784.”

Junipero Serra's missions played a critical role in the spread of Christianity. Many of Serra’s missions form the cores of what are today the state's largest cities, including San Diego, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. He was particularly admired in the 20th century and various statues of him were erected on..........

[BenLurkin]

Good luck with that...

“California Communist Party leader backs Newsom, urges ‘no’ vote on recall”
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/communist-leader-backs-newsom

[17th Miss Regt]

Newsom: “We have found a suitable replacement for the Serra statue. To honor the Khmer people in California we have chosen as a representative Saloth Sar, one of their great leaders. The statue is being created as we speak. This will help to celebrate the diversity and inclusion that we honor in California.”