Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco has asked the Marin County district attorney to prosecute those arrested after an Oct. 12 riot at a mission church to the “full extent of the law,” after several of the rioters defaced and pulled to the ground a statue of St. Junipero Serra.
“This attack on a cherished religious symbol on our own church property is not a minor property crime, but an attack on Catholics as a people,” Cordileone wrote in an Oct. 26 letter to Lori Frugoli, the Marin County district attorney.
“If the perpetrators of this crime are not brought to justice, small mobs will be able to decide what religious symbols all people of faith may display on their own property to further their faith, and they will continue to inflict considerable spiritual suffering on ordinary Catholic people who would see our sacred spaces as unprotected by law….”
Two of the women charged hailed from Oakland, one was a local, and two were from nearby communities.
Cordileone seconded the San Rafael Police Department’s request that the six individuals be charged with— in addition to trespassing and conspiracy— felony vandalism and vandalism in a house of worship, a hate crime.
Cordileone also thanked the police for their efforts. The department said they had worked with representatives from the Archdiocese of San Francisco to develop a plan in response to the Oct. 12 protest, as the protest’s organizers had announced the gathering on social media before it took place.
“I would like, on behalf of thousands of Catholics in the Bay Area and around this country, to thank the San Rafael Police both for arresting the miscreants and for being the first lawful civil authority to recognize that this crime they witnessed is a serious assault against a whole people’s right to display the religious symbols they wish on their own property,” Cordileone said.
Frugoli said last week that her office was reviewing the case and had not yet made a decision about whether to pursue criminal charges, the Marin Independent Journal reported….
CNA also attempted to contact Dean Hoaglin, chair of the Coast Miwok Tribal Council of Marin and another organizer of the Oct. 12 protest, for further information on the tribe and their reasons for opposing Serra, but did not receive a reply by press time.
The Coast Miwok people were the original inhabitants of what is today Marin and southern Sonoma Counties of California. The tribe gained federal recognition as the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria in December 2000.
In 2008, the former bishop of Sacramento, Francis Quinn, apologized to the Coast Miwok tribe that the Spanish “tried to impose a European Catholicism on the natives….”
The above comes from an Oct. 28 story on the site of the Catholic News Agency.
Bishop Quinn… hah!
And in California the Miwok have been replaced by the Miwoke.
One has to wonder how someone who made that “apology” could be a Catholic.
Catholics must show some muscle, now…
And Protestors must realize that if they damage Church property, they must pay.
We only have to look at the example of the Church in France.
First, it was only a few Churches damaged, here and there.
The French did nothing.
Then it was scores of Churches vandalized, and then hundreds.
Not much reaction.
And now !!
French Catholics attacked and beheaded in their own Churches!
We cannot wait for this to happen in the US.
Sorry, vandalizers, you must be prosecuted.
And American Catholics have to be much more vigilant.
They should have to have a DNA test, if they have not already had one, to see if they are really Miwok. Many people claim to be Native American but are not, or are of mixed blood, and do not have any more right to the land than anyone else. They look too light skinned, unless this picture has been photo shopped, to be full blooded Miwok, North eastern tribes were lighter, and California tribes darker.
The person who may be the next Treasury Secretary is at least 1/1,000 Native American. At least it got her a scholarship to law school.
Representatives of the Miwok should be able to articulate their reasons for opposing Saint Junipero (if there are any) and proceed civilly in dialogue with the Church.
All of us have unbelieving ancestors and the light and life of Christ and the freedom from sin and death that He brings are no “imposition,” but rather a blessing of inestimable worth.
The Lord says “Ye shall make you no idols, neither rear you up a standing image, neither shall ye set up any image of stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for I am the Lord your God.” (Exodus 20:4)
May we all repent of any of our idols, including Pachamama.
Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the Americas, pray for us!
Moses and the prophets did make exceptions to that commandment, such of the Ark of the Covenant with its two cherubim; the brazen serpent, which was pre figured the crucifix of Christ that heals nations, and other decorations for the Temple, but such things were approved by them and given strict rules for use as the Church does, or should, with its strict use of images. Any immoral or improper use of images, such as false gods and goddesses is forbidden.
Yes, Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the Americas, pray for us!
This is about vandalism, damage to Churches, and threats to Catholics. One’s genetic makeup is not relevant. It must be understood that damaging Churches and threatening Catholics are criminal actions. What happened two hundred years ago, is not an excuse.
FYI Francis Quinn was a former archbishop of the San Francisco Archdiocese. He made that apology at an anniversary celebration of St. Raphael’s Parish. The mission was founded as a hospital for sick Indians, thus named for St. Raphael.
MAE– Bishop Francis Quinn was Bishop of the Diocese of Sacramento. Before that, he served as an Auxiliary Bishop for the SF Archdiocese. You may be thinking of Abp. John R. Quinn, who was Archbishop of San Francisco, before Levada. These prelates now are deceased.
We don’t care what the “office” thinks! Isn’t the DA in charge of her own team?? What does Lori Think? A letter from the Archbishop deserves an immediate response. Forget hiding behind the lawyers, they are worthless…..
Maybe we should defund the San Rafael police. After all, what’s the point of rubber bullets, billy clubs, fire hoses, tasers, mace, and dogs if you don’t use them?
PS: Add Cordileone’s name as an accessory to the toppling.