Pope Francis’ canonization of Franciscan friar Junipero Serra
September 24, 2015 12:11am
After meeting with President Barack Obama at the White House and with American bishops at St. Matthew's Cathedral in Washington D.C., Pope Francis now heads to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, also in the US capital, to canonize Junipero Serra, an 18th-century monk credited with bringing Christianity to California.

The Pope has called Serra the great evangelizer of the western US, but the decision to canonize him is a controversial one. Serra, who worked for the Spanish Inquisition in Mexico in the mid-1700's, built several missions in California to convert the native Indian population to Christianity.

Mission life was harsh for the Indians, many of whom had been forcibly herded into the settlements. Under Serra, an ascetic and a great believer in the purifying power of self-scourging, they were subjected to beatings, forced labor, and imprisonment. The Spanish also brought with them disease, which led to the massive decline in the indigenous population.

Native American groups have protested the Pope's decision to elevate Serra to sainthood. Over their objections, however, the Pope fast-tracked the canonization, waiving the two-miracle requirement in Serra's case.

The ceremony will start at 3:45 a.m. Thursday, Manila time. You can watch it below.



On Thursday (9:10 a.m., EDT; 9:10 p.m., Manila time), Pope Francis will be the first pontiff to address the Joint Session of the US Congress. — BM, GMA News

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