Petition: Urge Pope Francis to abandon his decision to canonize Junipero Serra

Pope Francis is coming to Washington, D.C., to canonize Junipero Serra as a Saint. It is imperative he is enlightened to understand that Father Serra was responsible for the deception, exploitation, oppression, enslavement and genocide of thousands of Indigenous Californians, ultimately resulting in the largest ethnic cleansing in North America.

The reality of the California Mission system has yet to be accurately taught in California schools or recognized by the Catholic Church. Elementary school children tour mission grounds and are taught that native people were "docile and child-like savage pagans, saved by the kind and benevolent padres". In reality, the human remains of thousands of indigenous people are scattered beneath the grounds of the Missions that were built by Indian slaves as garrisons for the church and Spanish crown. Indigenous people died of rape, beatings and diseases introduced by the Spanish conquistadors in California. Spanish Priests did little to recognize indigenous people as humans and did not come to their rescue when women were raped by soldiers and settlers. With an over 90% indigenous mortality rate, Serra hardly "saved many souls".

PETITION BACKGROUND

As Indigenous Californians, we respectfully ask his Holiness to abandon his plans to declare Junipero Serra a Saint. Pope Francis has indicated that he "Values Human Life" yet our people were slaughtered like animals. What of their lives and souls? This plan will not welcome indigenous people back to the Catholic Church, or honor our ancestors, rather, it will re-awaken a very dark, and brutal time in the history of the Catholic Church and Civilization.

The passage of time has not made the reality of genocide of Indigenous Californians go away, nor has it made the Mastermind of the brutal Mission system a Saint.

Sign petition: http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/urge-pope-francis-to