The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1915-06-12
OLDEST AMERICAN SEE
WAS occuPIEDB BY a FULL-RLooD-
ED NEGRO BISHOP.

Ell NE1nO bIoF1OFs
The See of Panama is the oldest
See on the American continent. The
first church in the diocese was built
in temporary colony on the Allan
tic side of the isthmus-Santa Maria
de la Antigua del Darien-early in
the sixteenth century, says 1.-THE
Lamp."s The seat of the Bishopric,
however, was soon changed to old
Panama and no trace of the earlier
settlement was left The only thing
remaining to mark the location of old
Panama is the ruins of the tower of
the church, sometimes called st.
Augustine and sometimes st. Athana-
sius. The Cathedral of the diocese
at this time is located in the present
new City of Panama and was built
from the private purse of one of it's
bishops, and that man a negro. This
bishop was Rt Rev. Francisco Javier
de Luna Victoria. One of the his
torians says that he was "the first
bishop of negro blood in America, and
probably of native birth to wear the
mitre." So far as our investigations
have led US, it appears that he was
the first bishop of American birth,
and we have yet to find record of
another negro bishop in America
The father of Bishop Luna Victoria
was a freed negro slave who pursued
the aVocation of charcoal burner,
making his charcoal near Boca de la
Rio Grande and peddling it on his
back in the streets of Panama, as
one there may see many negroes still
doing.
This freed slave lived for no other
purpose than to rear and educate his
son and offer him for the sacred
ministry, and he saw his purpose ac-
complished. Luna Victoria was not
only man of virtue and learning,
but successful man of affairs as
well.
We read in the records that the
Episcopal See of Panama became va
cant by the promotion of Bishop Juan
de Castaneda to the See of Cuzco,
Peru, and it having been offered to
and refused by several members of
religious orders, "the mitre fell upon
the head of the priest Francisco Javier
de Luna Victoria, a negro, native of
the country, who had assembled in the
degrees of the ecclesiastical hierarchy
by his merits and his virtues" The
news of his nomination caused such
a disappointment among the members
of the Chapter of the Cathedral, that
one OF them said: Is Luna Victoria
the Bishop of Panama? Then must
go cut wood in the mountains. .
Surely this worthy man was not
moved to speak in this manner be-
cause Luna Victoria was a negro, for
there was no antipathy to negroes
then in the Church in the South
American country, as we shall later
point out. Luna Victoria was well
received and accepted by the peo-
pie. of Panama in those days when
it was known as "a proud and
wealthy city"
He took possession of the diocese
on the 18th of August, 1851. ''The
new prelate furnished at his own ex-
pense the Cathedral and enriched it
with jewels and precious vestments,
placed the bells on the towers, and
was transferred to the See of Tru-
jillo, Peru, in 1852" He continued
to furnish the money until the build
ing was completed on the 3rd of De-
cember, 1850, "as may be read on the
front of the same
The See of Trujillo was established
by Gregory XIII in 1877. The city
was founded by Gonzalo Pizarro in
1885. Near the city lie the ruins
of the Gran Chimu, known originally
as Chan-Chan, being the title of the
Indian sovereign who fell before the
Incas-"one of the most stupendous
monuments extant of departed civili-
cation. From these ruins over $780,
100000 in gold were recovered by the
Spaniards."
When Bishop Luna Victoria took
charge of the diocese, Trujillo was a
flourishing city of Importance, and
the Church was the possessor of a
Cathedral and a number of other in
stitutions, including "a college found
ed there earlier than 1921"
And here we may note that Peru
has given to the Church saints, the
records of whose lives shine as the
stars: st. Toribio. ST. Francis So
lano, st. Rose of Lima and Blessed
Martin de Porras. the colored man.
And thus we discover again, as we
have often done before, under a
black skin, a pure soul, a kind heart
and a brilliant mind, and we may
be permitted to hope that in our
future historical rambles we may
meet with this good bishop again and
know him better.
Some people in this country, read
ing this article. will wonder how
these proud and wealthy cities
could and would accept q negro bish-