Sacramento Diocese: Pulling Down Serra Statue Does Little To Build Future

Statue of Father Junipero Serra

The Sacramento Diocese has come out in opposition to protesters who pulled down a statue of Father Junipero Serra Saturday during a demonstration at the California Capitol. The California Highway Patrol said a group of about 200 protesters were marching on Sacramento city streets around 9:00 p.m. when they moved to the east side of the Capitol near the statue. According to officers on scene, some protesters began beating on and spray painting the statue, some were seen trying to set it on fire, then others used "heavy-duty tow straps" to pull it down.

Serra was a Franciscan priest who was instrumental in the establishment of the California mission system during Spanish colonization in the 18th century. During the time, according to historians, the missions were used as centers for converting native people in California to Catholicism. Native customs and beliefs were also banned.

"The group's actions may have been meant to draw attention to the sorrowful, angry memories over California's past, but this act of vandalism does little to build the future," said Diocese of Sacramento Bishop Jaime Soto.

"There is no question that California’s indigenous people endured great suffering during the colonial period and then later faced the horror of government-sanctioned genocide under the nascent State of California. This legacy is heartbreaking. Yet, it is also true that while Fr. Serra worked under this colonial system, he denounced its evils and worked to protect the dignity of native peoples. His holiness as a missionary should not be measured by his own failures to stop the exploitation or even his own personal faults."

Bishop Soto referenced a July 1st letter from Archbishop Gomez that he said illustrates some of the Franciscan friar's efforts to end the mistreatment of indigenous peoples. That letter may be found here: https://angelusnews.com/voices/letter-to-the-faithful-for-the-memorial-of-st-junipero-serra/

"Understanding the efforts of Fr. Serra to bring light into the bitter, bleak darkness of colonial ambition is the difficult task of history. So is the present arduous work to chart the future with hope. The strenuous labor of overcoming the plague of racism should not be toppled by nocturnal looting. Dialogue should not abdicate to vandalism," said Soto.

"All monuments are imperfect as are our efforts to live up to America’s founding ideals. The primary task is to build up our community, not tear it down."

An investigation into the alleged vandalism is being conducted by the CHP.

Diocese of Sacramento Bishop Jaime Soto

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