Catholic Californians and others are still reeling from the devastation caused by the fire at the 249-year-old Mission San Gabriel.
The structure is one of the original missions in California, established and built by Father Junipero Serra as he worked to spread Christianity.
The first call about the fire was at 4:30 a.m., and at that point, flames were through the roof. The flames ravaged the structure for hours.
Despite the continuing investigation, no official "cause" for the fire has yet been determined.
Father Serra has been the target of people who say they're incensed that he "mistreated" Native Americans, and this anger has been taken out against statues of the saint across California and other states.
The church itself seems to take a low-key position as it deals with the ongoing destruction. A statement from Father John Molyneux, pastor at the Mission, as reported by KTLA, said, "We recognize and understand that for some he has become a symbol of the dehumanization of the Native American community. We at Mission San Gabriel are committed to continuing dialogue with our Native American representatives in order to achieve a peaceful and just partnership."
Forgive me, but what does that mean?
Given the distorted vision of right and wrong today, it should come as no surprise that someone out there is saying that "it's justified to attack churches and statues if they're deemed offensive."
Who said that? No, not some street person or angry Native American. It was a spokesperson for the Mission speaking to a fellow Catholic.
According to a report in the July 22 edition of Church Militant, the remark was made by the Mission's Communications Director Terry Huerta. She was speaking to Beatrice Cardenas on July 11, as the two were surveying the fire damage. Cardenas, the former Republican congressional candidate for California's 27th district, said Huerta told her the Mission "represented pain to a lot of people."
Cardenas replied, that didn't give anyone a right to set a church or building on fire.
She said, Huerta responded, "Yes it does. You and I also have the right to do that if we wanted to because this is a free country."
Cardenas minced no words as she described her belief that the church has "fallen into the current cultural mindset that our great nation was built on hatred and oppression that needs correction."
She continued, "The rock-solid catechesis of the Catholic Church is being attacked by a destructive force from within, by members of the community who value social change above truth."
Clearly, Cardenas is angry about the actions of Los Angeles Archbishop Jose H. Gomez, who wrote in a letter last month that he has "come to understand how the image of Father Serra and the missions evokes painful memories for some people."
Cardenas said, "California has become so 'progressive' that our clergy has tried to appease the movement by allowing concessions from political pressures."
She was clear in what she wants: "We need bishops to be steadfast and unapologetic about our history."
There's no doubt that many "average" Catholics agree with her – but the hierarchy controls what the church does and says, and it appears they're being swept along with liberal politics and in that are betraying believers.
If anyone wonders why Catholic Church attendance is down and why people are leaving the Church, this is one main reason – and it has nothing to do with COVID-19.
The news has been filled lately with reports on the desecration and destruction of religious and historic statues across the country – whether outside of churches or schools or in public places.
It's almost impossible for police to locate those responsible even though many leave spray-painted words that indicate the political persuasion of the culprits.
These criminals have taken license to do whatever they please, and there are many who take the position that what they do is just fine – the idea being that if the reason for the damage is to "correct" what is perceived as a past social error, then the vandals should be excused for their actions.
Don't be too shocked – the current Black Lives Matter movement is a perfect example of this mindset. They are people angry about past race relations who feel they can do what they please now to get back, to get even.
Religious targets aren't limited to statues. The places of worship, like the Mission, have been targets in almost all states, and it's not limited to one denomination. Targeted have been buildings where people gather to worship, and in most cases it's a Christian church.
While the violence is usually against the structure, sometimes,it involves murderous attacks on the parishioners.
Exact figures are not readily available, but estimates are that overall, such attacks are up as much as 35%.
Cardenas says the church isn't defending itself because it feels it is making reparations. She said, "It is only a matter of time before the existence of every Christian church is considered an error that must be corrected."
She warned, "We are in deep trouble, folks."
I think she's right.
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