Canonization this year for Bl. Junipero Serra
January 15, 2015
In a surprise announcement, Pope Francis has disclosed that he plans to preside at the canonization of Blessed Junipero Serra this year.
Speaking to reporters who accompanied him on a flight from Sri Lanka to the Philippines on January 15, the Pontiff said: "In September, God willing, I will canonize Junipero Serra in the United States."
The Pontiff is scheduled to travel to the US in September, to attend the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia. The details of the papal trip, including the other stops that he might make, have not been settled.
Blessed Junipero Serra, a Spanish Franciscan, established a string of missions along the California coast. He is the leading figure in the evangelization of California during the 18th century.
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