(KMJ) – Carmel Police say vandals defaced a statue of Father Junipero Serra at the Carmel Mission. That is where the remains of the recently canonized missionary are buried.
Investigators say the vandals struck Saturday night, damaging statues, grave sites and signs and spewing green and white paint on doors.
The Mission says a statue of Serra and other historic statues in the courtyard were toppled. And someone wrote “Saint of Genocide” on a stone.
On Friday, Pope Francis elevated Serra to sainthood. The 18th-century Spanish friar brought the Catholic faith to California
Many Native Americans say the missions cut their ancestors off from their traditional languages and cultures and enslaved those who converted to Christianity.
