印第安人辩论:塞拉,圣人还是罪人?

Native Americans Debate: Father Serra, Saint or Sinner? 印第安人辩论:塞拉,圣人还是罪人?

LOS ANGELES—

Pope Francis will canonize an 18th century missionary¹ to Spanish California during a papal visit to the United States this month.  But, some Native Americans have criticized the elevation² to sainthood of the missionary priest, Junipero Serra. 

On September 23, in Washington D.C., Pope Francis will complete the process of recognizing Serra as a saint. 

The founder³ of the Spanish colonial system of California missions, Serra is a towering figure for Andrew Galvan, curator of Mission Dolores museum in San Francisco.  Galvan is an American Indian, and one of his 18th century ancestors was baptized and is buried at this mission.  He has complaints about the mission system, but has admired Serra since the 1970s.

"I have worked along with the friars [priests] since that time promoting Father Serra's cause,” he said.

Galvan's cousin, Vincent Medina, also works at  Mission Dolores museum and says that Serra should not be canonized.

“It's documented that he wanted the Indian languages suppressed.  It's documented that he sent for whips for Indian people to be whipped,” he said.

Medina says the Spanish brought disease and cultural destruction.

At the Carmel Mission on the California coast, where Serra worked and is buried, he is remembered as a vigorous defender⁴ of indigenous⁵ peoples against their Spanish conquerors⁶.

Archeologist Ruben Mendoza of California State University, Monterey Bay, has come to admire him.  He has studied Serra for 20 years and started as a critic.

“Being of Native American ancestry⁷ myself, Yaqui Indian, I don't give a pass to [disregard] colonialism," he said. "On the other hand, when you look at the life of Serra very specifically, you will see that he is not only a man of his time, but he was well ahead of his time in that he was an advocate for native peoples.”

Leaders of the Fernandeno Tataviam Band of Mission Indians, near Los Angeles, like many other native spokesmen, say Serra hurt indigenous peoples, although some Catholic tribal⁸ members have defended Serra.  

Tribal chairman Rudy Ortega, Jr., says the church's move will backfire.

“The indigenous people of California, all the Mission Indians of California, are going to read more about it, they're going to study harder, they're going to find more research and they're going to learn and they're going to expose more of the truth," he said.

Francis has apologized for the church's treatment of indigenous peoples, but says some inside the church were their champions, and that Father Serra, as a man of heroic virtue⁹, will be acknowledged as a saint.

1 missionary   

adj.教会的，传教(士)的；n.传教士

参考例句：

• She taught in a missionary school for a couple of years.她在一所教会学校教了两年书。
• I hope every member understands the value of missionary work. 我希望教友都了解传教工作的价值。

2 elevation   

n.高度；海拔；高地；上升；提高

参考例句：

• The house is at an elevation of 2,000 metres.那幢房子位于海拔两千米的高处。
• His elevation to the position of General Manager was announced yesterday.昨天宣布他晋升总经理职位。

3 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

4 defender   

n.保卫者，拥护者，辩护人

参考例句：

• He shouldered off a defender and shot at goal.他用肩膀挡开防守队员，然后射门。
• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。

5 indigenous   

adj.土产的，土生土长的，本地的

参考例句：

• Each country has its own indigenous cultural tradition.每个国家都有自己本土的文化传统。
• Indians were the indigenous inhabitants of America.印第安人是美洲的土著居民。

6 conquerors   

征服者，占领者( conqueror的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Danes had selfconfidence of conquerors, and their security precautions were casual. 这些丹麦人具有征服者的自信，而且他们的安全防卫也是漫不经心的。
• The conquerors believed in crushing the defeated people into submission, knowing that they could not win their loyalty by the victory. 征服者们知道他们的胜利并不能赢得失败者的忠心，于是就认为只有通过武力才能将他们压服。

7 ancestry   

n.祖先，家世

参考例句：

• Their ancestry settled the land in 1856.他们的祖辈1856年在这块土地上定居下来。
• He is an American of French ancestry.他是法国血统的美国人。

8 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

9 virtue   

n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力

参考例句：

• He was considered to be a paragon of virtue.他被认为是品德尽善尽美的典范。
• You need to decorate your mind with virtue.你应该用德行美化心灵。