Lux Lucet

The Saintly Junipero Serra.

Back in the day, 1517 to be exact, it was Johannes Tetzel’s selling of indulgences – a sort of early release from purgatory bought with a price – that prompted Martin Luther to write and his famous 95 Theses and post them on the Wittenberg door.

And what do you know. 498 years later the folks at the Vatican are still up to their old tricks. When pope Francis was in the US in September, one of the key events of his visit was the canonization of a Junipero Serra. Serra, a Franciscan monk who founded several missions in California, was elevated to sainthood by the Francis, marking the first time a canonization ceremony was held in the United States.

The canonization was controversial with some, as Serra’s missions had a reputation for brutality. According to one report, “Indians brought into the missions were not allowed to leave, and if they tried they were shackled and severely beaten…When the Native Americans rebelled, which they did on at least two occasions, their rebellions were put down in brutal fashion. When Native American women were caught trying to abort babies conceived though rape, the mission fathers had them beaten for days one end, clamped them in irons, had their heads shaved and forced them to stand at the church altar every Sunday carrying a painted wooden child in their arms” (Andrew Gumbel, “Junipero Serra’s brutal story in spotlight as pope prepares for canonisation“). Beatings, imprisonment, ritual humiliation. Such a lovely place.  In truth, it sounds a lot more like the Hotel California than anything resembling an actual Christian mission.

At any rate, this raises the question of just how the Church selects whom to canonize. According to a new book by Italian journalist Gianluigi Nuzzi, money helps. As the AP reports, “In his book “Merchants in the Temple,” obtained Tuesday by the Associated Press two days ahead of publication, Nuzzi estimates the average price tag for a beatification cause at around 500,000 euros ($550,000) – and some have gone as high as 750,000 euros ($822,000). Causes of saintly candidates who don’t inspire rich donors can languish.”

Amazing.  The more things change with the Roman Catholic Church-State, they more they stay the same.  Of course, Rome even boasts about this. Semper eadem, always the same, is their motto.  Which does kind of make you wonder, just who was it that greased the skids for Serra?