Pope Francis canonized Spanish Franciscan friar Junípero Serra on Wednesday while visiting the U.S. Although Pope Francis is visiting three eastern U.S. cities, the canonization of Serra provides the Pope's visit with national relevance given the friar's work establishing missions in Baja California.

Serra was beatified by Pope John Paul II on Sept. 25, 1988, and was canonized into sainthood on Sept. 23, during a Washington, D.C. mass.

Junipero Serra, born Miguel Jose Serra, was born on Nov. 24, 1713 in the Spanish town of Petra. By the age of 15, he decided to enter the priesthood and studied philosophy at the Convento de San Francisco. Shortly after turning 16 years old, he applied to the Franciscan order. He was turned down but continued to follow the Franciscan life.

In October 1748, Serra arrived in Puerto Rico to begin mission work. He would later travel to Mexico before settling in California in 1767. After establishing further missions, he died in 1784.

Serra's canonization will be the first canonization ceremony on U.S. soil.

The canonization, however, did stir controversy among a few groups.

"We believe saints are supposed to be people who followed in the life of Jesus Christ and the words of Jesus Christ. There was no Jesus Christ lifestyle at the missions," said Valentin Lopez, chairman of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band, according to CNN, which campaigned against sainthood for Serra.

Last May, Lopez wrote a letter to Pope Francis expressing opposition to Serra's canonization. The letter explained Serra's missions and the "cruelty" that occurred there, pointing out that approximately 40 percent of California Indians died during the mission period. A petition was also created to urge the pontiff to abandon Serra's canonization, attracting over 10,700 signatures.

"Pope Francis recently apologized to Native peoples in South America for past inhumane treatment and colonization; yet our ancestors were suppressed, dominated and enslaved by Serra and considered collateral damage to the Church and State," the petition noted. "The canonization will not celebrate Hispanics (since Serra and his Inquisition Conquistadors were foreign invaders), welcome Native Peoples back to the Catholic Church, or honor our ancestors. It will re-awaken the Inquisition Doctrine of Discovery; a very dark, and brutal time in the history of the Catholic Church and Civilization."

According to a website about Serra by The Archdiocese of Los Angeles and the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, there is no documentation that Serra "employed corporal punishment" on the Native Californians. The Archdiocese added "corporal punishment was a widely accepted form of punishment in both the Old World and the New World in Serra's time."

Serra's canonization can be viewed here.

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