Pope to make evil friar a saint

Always with the surprises, that Pope Francis. He's quite the guy. The latest is that he plans to create a new saint. He's chosen a Spanish friar named Junipero Serra for this honor, but perhaps the church should have done a little investigation first. You know, maybe talk to the people he tried to convert, suss out what happened. For instance, maybe the tribes and descendants of the Native Americans he converted would have something pertinent to say about this soon-to-be-sainted man.

Alas, the church seems to have skimped on the local investigation. Thus, we get this:

Tribal leaders have condemned Pope Francis' wish to canonize a 18th-century Spanish friar believed responsible for the destruction of indigenous people through his missionaries.

(snip)

[H]is work was anything but holy, argues Chief Anthony Morales of the Gabrielino-Tongva Tribe. “There’s nothing saintly about the atrocities on our culture and our people,” Morales told KNBC-TV.

(snip)

Serra’s beatification heralded protests at his Carmel gravesite and the Junipero Serra Museum in San Diego for rumors of harsh punishment, such as whipping while converting reluctant tribes, that have been passed down through generations.

The museum was defaced with slogans such as “Genocidal Maniac” and “Serra was a Baby Killer.”

Saint Genocidal Maniac. Kinda has a Catholic ring to it. He'll be welcome alongside Mother Theresa, for sure. She's been lookin' for a buddy, up there in heaven. No one else will talk to her. I'm thinking this guy will.