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Vatican defends canonisation of founder of Californian missions

By Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The Vatican on Monday defended Pope Francis's decision to canonise Junipero Serra, the 18th-century Spanish Franciscan priest who founded missions in California, against accusations that he brutalised Native Americans. Francis is due to declare Serra a saint on Sept. 23 at the National Shrine in Washington during a trip to the United States that will also include stops in New York and Philadelphia. Critics say Serra, who arrived in what is now California in the 1760s, beat and imprisoned Native Americans, suppressed their cultures, and facilitated the spread of diseases that decimated the population.

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