By Judi McLeod ——Bio and Archives--May 4, 2015
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“I wonder if today we are able to respond with the same generosity and courage to the call of God,” Francis said during a homily at Rome’s American seminary, the Pontifical North American College.”Some Vatican scholar must have pounced on a Los Angeles Time’s error because the Times added this correction to their original story: “FOR THE RECORD: A previous version of this post said that Serra is set to become the first Latino saint. He will be America's first Latino saint. For the record, it’s well past time for the Vatican to be shown the error of its ways. Some of us among the faithful can’t help but wonder if Pope Francis has noticed that Obama, the Professor, is the one leading a drive where responding “with the same generosity and courage to the call of God”, is no longer tolerated and even frowned upon. Rome is a long distance away from Washington, D.C. but surely some cardinals at the Vatican must be aware that their prelate is awarding the status of “founding father” on a saint at the same time that Obama is demonizing the real founding fathers who birthed America, and any patriots who revere them. If the truth still matters to the Vatican, Father Junipero Serra may be a saint--but he was definitely never a Founding Father. Father Serra never rubbed shoulders with Thomas Jefferson or Benjamin Franklin and for certain he never walked or rode a horse to Philadelphia. And to infer that that he did is nothing but a monstrous lie.
“Francis will formally declare Serra a saint in September during the Washington, D.C., leg of his first visit to the United States. Although the Vatican has canonized Americans before, Serra will be the first saint canonized on U.S. soil. (Los Angeles Times) “In California, Serra has been criticized by native American activists for his role in a Spanish colonial system that mistreated and displaced indigenous people, and some have accused him of forcing people to convert to Catholicism. The state Senate voted last month to replace a statue of Serra in the U.S. Capitol with astronaut Sally Ride.We don’t know whether the State Senate voting to replace a statue of Serra in the U.S. Capitol with astronaut Sally Ride is over the top, but we do know that there is no record of Sally Ride ever trying to steal Founding Father status. It is well past time for the Vatican to yank Pope Francis from the classroom of Obama the Professor and to force him back into the Classroom of Christ, the Classroom of Saving Souls. Amen.
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