[News]The Infanta Sofía arrives in Petra with a bandage on her right leg and with a crutch after falling the day before

[SougarLord]

The Kings, the Princess of Asturias and the Infanta Sofía arrived on Monday afternoon in the Mallorcan municipality of Petra (2,800 inhabitants) to pay tribute to Fray Junípero Serra, the Spanish Franciscan who, after decades of service in Spain, traveled to America to evangelize the indigenous people and whose statues have now suffered, in the United States and in Mallorca, the attacks of allegedly anti-racist violent movements.

 

The youngest daughter of the Reyes, Sofia, arrived with a knee injury that was made the day before, after suffering a fall when tripping on a step, and they had to put five points. Doctors have recommended that she not bend her leg and, therefore, she helped herself with a crutch and with her sister, the Princess. Despite the injury, the Infanta did not want to miss the visit to Petra. In any case, it is a minor injury, which did not even require a visit to the hospital.

Don Felipe, Doña Letizia and their daughters have been received by the neighbors with flags of Spain, the Balearic Islands and Fray Junípero, and cheers to the King and Spain. During the visit they are accompanied by many authorities, including the president of the Balearic Government, Francina Armengol; the Minister of Education, Isabel Celaá, and the Mayor of Petra, Salvador Femenías.

 

                             

 

The Royal Family plans to visit three emblematic places in the life of Fray Junípero: the Museum, the Natal House and the Sanctuary of the Madre de Dios de Bonay (good year, alluding to the rains that the Virgin brought after several seasons of drought ). This sanctuary is considered the last place where the Franciscan preached before leaving for America.

 

When Junípero was a child, he would go to pray in this church before the images of the Virgin Our Lady of the Angels and other Saints, with whose names he later baptized his missions in California and that today are carried by many of the large American cities, such as Los Angeles , San Francisco, San Antonio, San Luis, San Diego or San Agustin.

The Royal Family signed Fray Junípero Serra's book of honor in the Museum and, after highlighting the link it created between Spain, Mexico and the United States, added that it will be forever admired and valued. To this we add our commitment.

This is not the first time that the Kings pay homage to the Spanish Franciscan. In 2013, as Princes, they visited the tomb of Fray Junípero, in California, and placed a laurel wreath with a bow with the colors of the flag of Spain on the burial mound.

 

On that trip they also visited an exhibition about the Franciscan that dismantled a widespread belief in the United States.

 

The sample showed that the Spanish did not eliminate the indigenous culture, but that it continued to exist afterwards. What the indigenous people could not survive was the gold rush, the colonization of the West and the accession of California to the United States, because they were displaced to very little productive lands and used in inhumane work systems. They lost all the protection they had during the mandates of Spain and Mexico.

 

This visit to Petra is the first outing of the Royal Family this summer in Mallorca. The Kings and their daughters arrived on the island last Friday and will remain there until the 18th, when they will return to Madrid. During these days, the Kings will have an agenda full of official events and will visit Menorca and Ibiza.