Week after canonization St. Junipero Serra statue vandalized in California

CARMEL, Calif., Sept. 28 (UPI) -- Less than one week after Pope Francis canonized St. Junipero Serra, a statue dedicated to the Franciscan friar was vandalized at a church in Carmel, Calif., church officials said.

The Facebook page for Carmel Mission Basilica said officials were said "to learn this morning of vandalism inside the entrance courtyard in front of the basilica early this morning."

Carmel Mission Basilica pastor the Rev. Paul Murphy told KSBW that although he was disappointed, the damage could have been much worse. St. Junipero Serra's statue, tombstones and the mission itself were defaced. The statue was knocked over and doused in green paint.

Volunteers cleaned Serra's statue and the mission's halls Sunday in order to resume normal services. The mission also called for volunteers to help clean up through its Facebook page.

Police say vandals trespassed into the mission and used paint from one of its cabinets to commit the crime. No suspects have been identified. Police have asked the public for help finding those responsible.

Serra, who is buried at the mission, became the first Hispanic saint after Pope Francis led his canonization at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington D.C. The pontiff lauded Serra's efforts to protect the dignity of the native community and for being a trailblazer and socialite.

Serra's sainthood wasn't without controversy, though. Deborah Miranda, a member of the Ohlone Costanoan Esselen Nation of California, said the friar's establishment of Catholic missions in the 1700s contributed to the slaying of about 90 percent of the Native American population there at the time. Miranda said that making people know the truth about Serra's history is the most important aspect of his canonization.

No Native American tombstones were vandalized during the Carmel mission crime; rather, all those affected were that of Europeans.