Bishop Barron on Canceling Padre Serra
Summary
TLDRThe speaker addresses the historical prejudice against Catholics in America, highlighting the recent controversy over the removal of statues of Saint Junipero Serra. They argue that Serra, a Catholic saint, is wrongly scapegoated for 18th-century Spanish colonialism and emphasize his positive contributions to California's cultural and religious life. The video script warns of a resurgence of anti-Catholic sentiment, drawing parallels to past periods of hostility, and calls for reason to prevail over the 'cancel culture' targeting Serra's legacy.
Takeaways
- 😔 The speaker expresses concern over the resurgence of anti-Catholic sentiment, drawing parallels to historical prejudice.
- 🗽 The removal of Saint Junipero Serra's statue and the consideration of erasing his image from Ventura's seal and police badges are seen as manifestations of this bias.
- 🙏 Junipero Serra is defended as a friend to the native peoples, who protected them from mistreatment and introduced them to the Christian faith.
- 📜 The speaker argues that Serra was not personally responsible for the abuses of 18th-century Spanish colonialism, and his actions should not be conflated with such atrocities.
- 🏛 Serra's missions are credited with laying the foundation for many major cities in California and the spread of the Christian faith in the region.
- 🔥 The script mentions the desecration of Serra's statues as reminiscent of historical anti-Catholic violence, including the burning of churches and convents in the 19th century.
- 👥 The Know-Nothing party and the Ku Klux Klan are cited as examples of organized anti-Catholicism in American history.
- 📊 The speaker suggests that the opposition to Catholicism was deeply ingrained and persisted into the 20th century, as evidenced by rhetoric against JFK in the 1960 presidential campaign.
- 📚 Arthur Schlesinger Sr.'s quote is used to emphasize the historical depth of anti-Catholic prejudice in the United States.
- 🚫 The speaker warns of the dangers of the current 'Jacobin moment' in cultural history, where there is a risk of unchecked momentum against historical figures like Serra.
- 🤔 A call to action is made for cooler heads to prevail and to resist the 'cancel culture' targeting Padre Serra, emphasizing the importance of responsible dialogue.
Q & A
What is the main concern expressed in the video script about the removal of statues of Saint Junipero Serra?
-The main concern is the resurgence of anti-Catholicism, as the speaker sees the removal of these statues and the desecration of symbols related to Saint Junipero Serra as a reflection of historical biases against Catholics.
Why is Saint Junipero Serra considered a great Catholic saint by the speaker?
-Saint Junipero Serra is considered a great Catholic saint because he was a friend to the native peoples, sought to protect them from mistreatment, and introduced them to the Christian faith through his missions.
What historical abuses are mentioned in the script as being associated with 18th-century Spanish colonialism?
-The script mentions that there were abuses inherent to 18th-century Spanish colonialism, which included mistreatment of indigenous peoples, but it clarifies that Father Serra was not personally responsible for these abuses.
How does the speaker refute the comparison of Saint Junipero Serra to Hitler and his missions to concentration camps?
-The speaker refutes this comparison by stating that it is defamatory and highlights the positive contributions of Serra's missions to the cultural and political life of California.
What role did Saint Junipero Serra play in the spread of the Christian faith in California?
-Saint Junipero Serra played a significant role in spreading the Christian faith in California by establishing missions that taught indigenous peoples useful skills and introduced them to Christianity.
What is the speaker's view on the historical significance of the missions established by Saint Junipero Serra?
-The speaker views the missions as foundational to the political and cultural life of the state of California, with many of its greatest cities built on the foundation of these missions.
How does the speaker describe the current situation regarding the removal of symbols related to Saint Junipero Serra?
-The speaker describes the situation as a 'Jacobin moment' in cultural history, which is dangerous due to the lack of clear indicators to stop its momentum, and likens it to historical periods of anti-Catholicism.
What historical parallels does the speaker draw to the current situation of anti-Catholic sentiment?
-The speaker draws parallels to the mid to late 19th century when anti-Catholicism was rampant in the United States, with the Know-Nothings party opposing Catholicism and instances of violence against Catholic institutions.
What is the speaker's hope for the outcome of the controversy surrounding Saint Junipero Serra's legacy?
-The speaker hopes that cooler heads will prevail and that responsible people will put an end to what they see as a dangerous attempt to cancel Padre Serra.
What is the speaker's perspective on the role of evangelism in spreading the Christian faith?
-The speaker views evangelism as a positive and necessary endeavor, citing the example of Saint Junipero Serra who left his home to proclaim Christ to those who did not know Him.
Outlines
😔 Anti-Catholicism and the Legacy of Saint Junipero Serra
The speaker addresses the historical prejudice against Catholics in America, highlighting the recent controversy surrounding the removal of statues of Saint Junipero Serra. They argue that Serra is being unfairly scapegoated for the abuses of 18th-century Spanish colonialism, despite evidence suggesting he was a friend and protector of native peoples. The speaker defends Serra's role in establishing missions and spreading Christianity, which they view as a positive contribution to California's cultural and political life. They also draw parallels between the current statue desecration and past anti-Catholic sentiment, warning of the dangers of such behavior.
😠 The Cultural Danger of Erasing Padre Serra's Memory
In this paragraph, the speaker expresses concern over the cultural and historical implications of erasing the memory of Padre Serra, a Catholic saint canonized by Pope Francis. They describe the current cultural moment as 'jacobin,' indicating a radical and potentially destructive phase. The speaker fears that the removal of Serra's image from public spaces could lead to further questioning of Catholic faith and institutions. They call for reason and responsibility to prevail, urging an end to what they see as a dangerous attempt to 'cancel' Padre Serra, and encourage viewers to share and subscribe to their channel for more content.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Prejudice
💡Anti-Catholicism
💡Junípero Serra
💡Desecration
💡Scapegoat
💡Indigenous peoples
💡Evangelism
💡Know-Nothings
💡Ku Klux Klan
💡Cultural history
💡Cancel culture
Highlights
Prejudice against Catholics is considered the deepest bias in American history.
Mobs are tearing down and desecrating statues of Saint Junipero Serra, a Catholic saint canonized by Pope Francis.
The government of Ventura, California, is considering removing the image of Padres Sarah from the city seal and police badges.
Junipero Serra is being used as a scapegoat for 18th-century Spanish colonialism abuses.
Despite the abuses of the time, Father Serra was not personally responsible for them.
Evidence suggests Serra was a friend of native peoples and protected them from mistreatment.
Serra's missions taught indigenous people useful skills and introduced them to Christianity.
Comparing Serra to Hitler and his missions to concentration camps is defamatory.
The political and cultural life of California has roots in the missions established by Serra.
Major cities in California, including Ventura, were built on the foundation of Serra's missions.
The spread of the Christian faith in California is largely due to the work of Serra and his colleagues.
Enthusiastic evangelism, like Serra's, should be celebrated rather than condemned.
Most Catholics in California cherish the faith brought by Padre Serra.
The destruction of Serra's statues is reminiscent of anti-Catholic activities in 19th-century America.
The Know-Nothings political party was organized around opposing Catholicism.
Catholic institutions were targets of violence by mobs and the Ku Klux Klan in the past.
Anti-Catholic sentiment persisted into the 20th century, as seen in the 1960 presidential campaign.
The current cultural moment is likened to a 'Jacobin' period, which is dangerous for its potential momentum.
There is a call for cooler heads to prevail and end the attempt to cancel Padre Serra.
Transcripts
prejudice against catholics is the
deepest bias
in the history of the american people
close quote
so when i see mobs tearing down and
desecrating statues of a great catholic
saint
mind you canonized just five years ago
by pope francis
how can i not see the ugly specter of
anti-catholicism raising its head
i've just received word that after
voting to remove a large statue of saint
junipero serra
that stands in front of their city hall
the government of ventura california
which is in my pastoral region
is now considering removing the image of
padres sarah from the seal
and from the badges of the ventura
police officers
friends this entire effort to erase the
memory of sarah is
from an historical standpoint ridiculous
and from a moral standpoint
more than a little frightening let me
address the ridiculous side first
to state it bluntly juniperocera is
being used as a convenient
scapegoat for certain abuses inherent to
18th century spanish colonialism
were such abuses real yes did people
suffer from them
yes of course but was father sarah
personally responsible for them
of course not i won't deny for a moment
that sarah
probably engaged in certain disciplinary
practices that we would rightfully
regard as
morally questionable or that he was in
certain unhappy ways a child of his time
and culture
but the overwhelming evidence suggests
that he was a great
friend of the native peoples that he
sought time and again to protect them
from mistreatment by civil authorities
that he presided over missions where the
indigenous were taught useful skills
and were introduced to the christian
faith
to suggest as did some of those who were
petitioning for the removal of a statue
that sarah was the moral equivalent of
hitler and his missions the moral
equivalent of concentration camps
is nothing short of defamatory it's no
exaggeration to affirm that
from the missions established by
junipero serra came much of the
political and cultural life of the state
of california
many of our greatest cities san diego
los angeles san francisco
santa barbara and yes ventura were built
on the foundation of the missions
and i won't hesitate to say it the
spread of the christian
faith in this part of the world took
place largely because
of the work of junipero sarah and his
colleagues and this is a
good thing jesus told his first
followers to go into all the world and
preach the good news
not as a message of oppression but of
spiritual liberation
it was precisely in response to that
apostolic summons
that freyjuniperocera left mallorca
crossed the ocean
and spent the remainder of his life
proclaiming christ to those who did not
know him
though it's politically incorrect to say
so today
this kind of enthusiastic evangelism is
to be celebrated not excoriated
the majority of catholics in california
today have the faith that they cherish
because padre sarah first brought it
here
and this brings me to the morally
dangerous side of this issue
when i first saw those videos of sarah
statues being torn down
burnt spat upon trampled and desecrated
up in san francisco and here in l.a
i shuddered not only because such
behavior was
boorish and unjustifying but also
because it reminded me of very similar
activities at earlier stages of american
history
in the mid to late 19th century
anti-catholicism was rampant in the
united states
due in part to prejudices inherited from
protestantism but also
due to the arrival of large groups of
immigrants from catholic countries
immigrants who were considered inferior
a powerful political party the
know-nothings
was organized precisely around the theme
of opposing catholicism
and in many of the major cities of our
country catholic convents parishes
cathedrals
churches and yes statues were burned to
the ground by unruly mobs
moreover in that same period the ku klux
klan
which was active not just in the south
but in many northern cities as well
endeavored to terrorize blacks and jews
of course
but also it's easy to forget catholics
if you doubt that this sort of knee-jerk
opposition to catholicism endured well
into the 20th century
i'd recommend you consult some of the
histrionic rhetoric used by the
opponents of
john f kennedy during the presidential
campaign of 1960.
the dean of american historians arthur
schlesinger senior
summed up this trend in his oft repeated
remark quote
prejudice against catholics is the
deepest bias in the history of the
american people
close quote so when i see mobs
tearing down and desecrating statues of
a great catholic saint mind you
canonized just
five years ago by pope francis how can i
not see the ugly specter of
anti-catholicism raising its head
friends we're passing through a jacobin
moment in our cultural history and such
periods
are dangerous indeed for there's no
clear indication of what can stop their
momentum
so in this case what's next shall we
tear down the missions themselves the
moral equivalents of death camps
shall we call into question the catholic
faith and institutions that junipero
sarah
brought to these shores one can only
hope that
cooler heads will prevail and that
responsible people might bring to an
end this ridiculous and frankly
dangerous attempt
to cancel padre sarah
thanks so much for watching if you
enjoyed this video i encourage you to
share it and be sure to subscribe to my
youtube channel
you
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