Readers React: Junipero Serra was no ‘founding father’
To the editor: Pope Francis is either woefully ignorant of the history of the United States or unconcerned with blatantly bending the truth. (“Pope Francis praises Junipero Serra as U.S. ‘founding father,’” May 2)
Junipero Serra was not one of the founding fathers of the United States, and to call him one is to do a disservice to the great minds who wrote the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
Our true founding fathers built a new form of government from scratch. Their experiment has proved to be a remarkable and lasting testament to their brilliance.
To put Father Serra in the same company as James Madison, Benjamin Franklin or John Adams, to name just a few, is an insult to these deep thinkers and true statesmen.
Tony Ferdyn, Santa Barbara
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