CV NEWS FEED // The Archbishop of San Francisco reacted to the resolution of the case of the desecration of a statue of Saint Junipero Serra, in which the vandals were charged with a misdemeanor.
In an article published on Marin Voice, Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone stated that the perpetrators were being charged with a misdemeanor because, according to the district attorney, they were participating in a restitution process.
“Restorative justice aims to bring about reconciliation between offender and victim after a conviction,” the archbishop said. “It offers great healing potential when carried out honestly and conscientiously, but can cause even greater pain to victims if not carried out.”
After the attack on the statue in October 2020, Archbishop Cordileone said: “Because I did not want the perpetrators to go to prison and preferred to avoid a trial, I suggested that they make reparations before a trial, hoping in this way to reach a just solution.”
The archbishop told prosecutors that he was representing the victims, “because the victims of this crime are not only the parishioners of St. Raphael Parish, but all Catholics of the Archdiocese of San Francisco and beyond.” He asked them to direct any communications regarding the case to his office.
“Unfortunately, the mediator seemed to me to show a clear bias in favor of the perpetrators, even considering them more as victims,” continued Archbishop Cordileone. “It was obvious that my involvement was seen as a problem in the realization of reparation. I felt excluded from the process.”
The archbishop decided to withdraw from the reparation process until after the trial because he “could not trust that it would be an honest process.”
Having recustied, he was “shocked and appalled” to hear that prosecutors were charging the vandals with a misdemeanor rather than a possible felony or hate crime. Prosecutors said the vandals had engaged in reparation “without the consent of the victims of the crime,” the archbishop clarified.
“It appears that a small group of parishioners from St. Raphael Parish have posed as representatives of the victims, which is a direct violation of what I made clear to the prosecutor. There was no honest process of reparation,” Archbishop Cordileone said. He said he believes the prosecutor is aware that there was no honest process.
The archbishop said he had learned indirectly that the perpetrators had sent a letter of apology to the court on behalf of the Catholics of San Francisco, but not to his office. “The apology is unknown. To have any meaning at all, it must be a very public act. Once again, the victims are excluded.”
The archbishop continued, “The even bigger problem, however, is that they are pursuing the wrong man.” He pointed out that Saint Junipero Serra made heroic sacrifices to protect the natives from the attacks of Spanish soldiers. Both Indians and Spaniards mourned his death, the archbishop said.
Furthermore, the Spanish never committed genocide against the native peoples; that only happened after California joined the Union, because it was committed by Americans.
The Archbishop concluded:
That is not how reparations are supposed to work; quite the opposite. Our country's promise, which we reaffirm every time we recite our Pledge of Allegiance, is a country of “liberty and justice for all.” Obviously, that means everyone except Catholics.
