Vandals attack statue of St Junipero after his canonisation

Vandals have defaced a statue of St Junipero Serra at the site where he is buried and daubed the words 'Saint of Genocide' on the headstone just days after the controversial 18th century Spanish missionary was canonised by Pope Francis.

The statue, gravesites and signs were vandalised at the Carmel Mission, which serves as a Catholic Church, museum to the work of the Franciscan missionaries in the region, and educational facility, the weekend after the canonisation ceremony for St Junipero at a mass attending by tens of thousands of worshippers outside the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

Carmel Police Sgt Luke Powell told The Salinas Californian daily newspaper that "Saint of Genocide" was written on a headstone, green paint was splashed on a toppled Serra statue and headstones were splattered with dark red paint.

A police report noted that the paint was splattered on the graves of Europeans, not Native Americans.

The Carmel Mission is now a tourist attraction and a working Catholic church (PA)

The vandalism occurred the night before a Mass was celebrated at the Carmel Mission honouring the saint. Volunteers cleaned up most of the destruction before the Mass began.

Some people had objected to the canonisation of the Spanish missionary, who founded nine California missions, because of questions about how he treated the native peoples of California and about the impact of Spanish colonisation on native peoples throughout the Americas.

The Facebook page for the Carmel Mission put out a call for volunteers to help clean up after discovering the destruction stressing that "the way to healing is peace and service".

A post announcing the vandalism urged prayers that "the people who did this take responsibility for their actions on this sacred property and that they seek reconciliation", and a post later that day thanked the volunteers for their help.

"You are all a blessing to this community and church. Let us remember that we live in a loving community and let us not be discouraged by such things. As St Serra said, 'Always look forward, never back.'"

Worshippers watch the canonisation of St Junipero Serra by Pope Francis in Washington on a big screen at the Carmel Mission (PA)

"We are almost all cleaned up," it added, thanking everyone for the "outpouring of support and prayers".

Carmel Mission was the headquarters of St Junipero's mission until his death in 1784 and the sight of the first Christian conversion in California. Now, after being restored in the late 19th century it is a working Catholic church, museum and school and is listed on the US National Register of Historic Places and a US National Historic Landmark

It is considered to be the most authentic version of a Californian State mission church left standing and still has its original bell tower.