Junipero Serra
Cheers, stillness fill Pope Francis’ first US Mass
By Adelle M. Banks — September 23, 2015
WASHINGTON (RNS) The crowd of some 25,000 alternated between cheers for the celebrity pope and stillness during the most solemn moments of the service.
Pope Francis canonizes, and defends, controversial Spanish missionary Junipero Serra
By David Gibson — September 23, 2015
WASHINGTON (RNS) But in his homily at the Mass, the first on his historic visit to the U.S., the pontiff made scant mention of the new saint. He instead blasted the church's "frozen elites" and said Catholics need to get out of their comfort zones and serve others.
Did soon-to-be-saint Junipero Serra meet his era’s highest moral standards? (COMMENTARY)
By Mark I. Pinsky — September 22, 2015
(RNS) Pope Francis' canonization of Junipero Serra highlights the Vatican’s sometimes contradictory standards for sanctity when it comes to European missionaries.
Papal Mass in Washington will be in Spanish
By Gregory Korte — September 2, 2015
WASHINGTON – The canonization Mass is a reminder that the Latino Catholic church in the United States is actually older than the United States itself.
Did Pope Francis preview his argument for making Junipero Serra a saint? (ANALYSIS)
By David Gibson — July 10, 2015
(RNS) Are Americans ready for a nuanced view of the Spanish missionary's history in California -- and his sanctity -- when Pope Francis arrives in the U.S. with the canonization of Serra on his agenda?
Vatican pushes ahead with sainthood for missionary priest Junipero Serra
By Rosie Scammell — May 1, 2015
VATICAN CITY (RNS) Pope Francis' decision to celebrate Mass at a "celebration" of Junipero Serra is a very public sign that the pope does not seem bothered by the controversy that Serra's sainthood has sparked.
Statue of controversial missionary Junipero Serra could get booted from U.S. Capitol
By Kevin Eckstrom — February 10, 2015
WASHINGTON (RNS) A California lawmaker wants to replace a bronze statue of soon-to-be saint Junipero Serra with a monument honoring Sally Ride, the nation's first female astronaut.
Some see Junipero Serra, Pope Francis’ next American saint, as less than holy
By David Gibson — February 2, 2015
(RNS) Some of Junipero Serra’s sharpest critics say he was part of an imperial conquest that beat and enslaved Native Americans, raped their women, and destroyed their culture.
Pope Francis to make Franciscan missionary a saint during US trip
By David Gibson — January 15, 2015
(RNS) Pope Francis said Thursday (Jan. 15) he plans to canonize 18th-century Franciscan missionary Junipero Serra during the papal visit to the U.S. in September, an indication that the pontiff may be mulling a stop near the U.S.-Mexico border.
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