The Thomas More Society applauds Marin County District Attorney Lori Frugoli’s decision to prosecute vandals who destroyed a statue of the “Apostle of California” St. Junípero Serra at St. Raphael Church in San Rafael, California, last month.

The crime, which occurred on October 12, 2020, was caught on video, showing that the perpetrators came to the scene prepared with ropes, chisels, and spray paint, indicating that the desecration at the church was planned. The five persons accused are being charged with felony vandalism.

Thomas More Society Special Counsel Charles LiMandri stated: “We are pleased that District Attorney Frugoli has decided to prosecute the offenders and we were privileged to provide legal advice to the Archdiocese of San Francisco on how to best address the criminal situation with its tangled elements of property damage, religious discrimination, and hate crime. In the United States, we have the right to speak out about what we don’t agree with, but the rule of law demands that we do so without engaging in criminal behavior. This statue of California’s renowned Catholic Hispanic Saint was church property, and the vandals had no right whatsoever to deface or destroy it.”

LiMandri continued: “For all Catholics, the only reasonable way to view the attacks on St. Serra’s statue are as attacks on a psychological mascot, or a convenient scapegoat and whipping boy, for those who disrespect Catholics and who dislike that they evangelized native peoples.”

The Hispanic Saint, and the first person to be canonized in the United States, is revered by Catholics worldwide. Long honored throughout the State of California, Serra is credited with establishing the Franciscan Missions in the Sierra Gorda, a mission in Baja California, and the nine Spanish missions in California from San Diego to San Francisco, in what was then Spanish-occupied Alta California.

Over recent months, there has been a disturbing trend of lashing out at the statues of historic figures across the country – both ruffian-orchestrated topplings and official municipal removal of representations of American history that some people wish to avoid. St. Junípero Serra has been among the targets of unrestrained rioters.

These felony vandalism charges represent the first time that any of the lawbreakers attacking statues of Fr. Serra and other acts of vandalism on Catholic church property across California will be held accountable for their actions in a court of law.

LiMandri added: “In a diverse society we may debate and disagree about many things, including St. Junípero Serra’s legacy, but no one has a right to trespass on a faith community’s sacred grounds to destroy property and even more importantly the symbols of its faith.”