Carmel Police increase security around Carmel Mission

Thousands of people are expected at the Carmel Mission on Wednesday,coinciding with a ceremony in Washington D.C., where Pope Franciswill makeJunipero Serra a saint.

Here on the Central Coast were Serra is buried, based on past events, Carmel Police said they’re expecting protesters along with those celebrating his elevationto sainthood.

“We’ve been having weekly meetings with the mission for the last few months. Just planning and preparing for the canonization,” said Carmel Police Cmdr.Paul Tomasi.

Tomasi said extra officers will be patrolling the area and managing traffic. But not everyone will be there to celebrate. For many Native Americans, Serra was part of the Spanish colonial system that exploited their ancestors.

“Yes, there have been certain folks who have been objecting but there have been a lot of other native peoples who are supporting the canonization,” said Deacon William Ditewig with the Monterey Catholic Diocese.

Serra founded the first nine missions in California and is buried at the Carmel Mission. Ditewig is leaving Saturday forthe District of Columbiato attend his canonization. Still, Ditewig said entering sainthood doesn’t mean Serra was perfect.

“In fact some of our saints, like St. Augusta and others, have been pretty notorious sinners at one point in their lives. But what being a saint means is that certain aspects of their lives they’ve always been considered a holy person,” said Ditewig.

Still, the mission and the man have also drawn strong protests. Last Easter Native American groups showed up during mass and police said while there were no problems, they’re adding security to be safe.

“This is going to draw a whole lot of people, a lot of attention here in Carmel. So we want to have a couple extra officers on scene, we also have coordinated with other agencies on the peninsula for any kind of response if needed,” said Tomasi.

The Carmel Mission will also have private security patrolling the ground and a shuttle service to help with traffic on the day of the event.