Junipero Serra nouveau saint controversé?

Caricature de Steve Greenburg

Le Pape François a confirmé aujourd'hui que le fondateur des missions espagnoles en Californie devenait un nouveau saint, le premier en sol américain. Si créer le réseau des missions fut un exploit, le traitement réservé aux Premières Nations à l'intérieur des murs de ces missions suscite des réactions.

 Voici comment François a abordé le sujet aujourd'hui:

 "Junipero Serra left his native land and its way of life," Francis said in his homily during the canonization Mass at Catholic University in Washington. "He was excited about blazing trails, going forth to meet many people, learning and valuing their particular customs and ways of life."

The Pope praised Serra's treatment of Native Americans, saying that he "sought to defend the dignity of the native community, to protect it from those who had mistreated and abused it."

"Mistreatment and wrongs which today still trouble us," Francis continued, "especially because of the hurt which they cause in the lives of many people."

Voici l'intervention d'un représentant des Premières Nations:

 "We're stunned and we're in disbelief," said Valentin Lopez, 63, chairman of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band located along Monterey Bay in California.

"We believe saints are supposed to be people who followed in the life of Jesus Christ and the words of Jesus Christ. There was no Jesus Christ lifestyle at the missions," Lopez said, who has campaigned against sainthood for Serra."

http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/23/us/pope-junipero-serra-canonization/index.html