Archbishop exorcises site where rioters toppled statue of Catholic saint

The archbishop of San Francisco performed an exorcism on Saturday at the site where rioters ripped down a statue of 18th century missionary, Father Junipero Serra last week.

Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone conducted the ceremony in front of approximately 150 people outside the St. Raphael Catholic Church in San Raphael, which is north of San Francisco. The group later conducted a scheduled march to a nearby Planned Parenthood clinic.

Five people were arrested for alleged vandalism regarding the Serra statue in San Raphael, which was torn down on Columbus Day, according to the San Raphael Police Department. The statue is reportedly being repaired and will be returned to the site, according to a spokeswoman for the Archdiocese of San Francisco who spoke to the San Francisco Chronicle.

Serra, who was canonized by Pope Francis in 2015, has repeatedly been a target of protesters who see him as a ‘symbol of colonialism’ over his missionary efforts to Native Americans.