Statue of U.S. First Hispanic Saint Junipero Serra,
Father of California Missions Vandalized — Image: ABC7 San Francisco
(CNS News) Just days after Pope Francis Canonized Saint Junipero Serra a statue honoring the 18th century Franciscan Missionary and other property at the Carmel Mission where St. Junipero Serra is buried were vandalized.
Hoodlums damaged statues, grave sites and signs, together with pouring green and white paint on doors — written ‘Saint of Genocide’ was written on a headstone, green paint was splashed on St. Junipero Serra’s toppled statue and other headstones were splashed with dark red paint according to Carmel Police investigating the criminal damages.
On the 01 July I wrote here that Saint Juniperro Serra dubbed the ‘Evangelizer of the West’ by Pope Francis, established the first 9 of California’s 21 Missions.
A Facebook post by the ‘Carmel Mission’ asked prayers for the vandals, urging that “the people who did this take responsibility for their actions on this sacred property and that they seek reconciliation.”