Talk:Mission San Diego de Alcalá

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It appears that there is some confusion regarding the use and meaning of the term Basilica and how it should apply to certain Spanish settlements of the California Mission System. Basilica in its canonical sense refers specifically to a worship space ("a church of very important historical significance") which, in the case of the missions, only applies to one particular element of the outpost. Missions consisted of workshops, kitchens, dormitories, farmlands, etc. in addition to the chapel and ancillary spaces. More specifically:

• San Diego de Alcalá refers to itself on its website as both a "Mission" and a "Basilica."
• San Carlos Borroméo de Carmelo specifically uses the term only in reference to one of its worship spaces, and it makes a clear distinction between the "Basilica" and the "Blessed Sacrament Chapel."
• San Francisco de Asís (Mission Dolores) does not use the term on its website, and the "Basilica" there specifically consists of an adjacent structure that was not in existence until relatively recently.
• San Juan Capistrano maintains separate websites for the Mission and the adjacent parish church and only uses the term on the parish website. As with San Francisco de Asís, the "Basilica" there specifically consists of an adjacent structure that was not in existence until relatively recently. Though both sites are owned by the Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, they are legally separate entities.

According to The Catholic Encyclopedia, "…the word mission is confined to the work of bringing pagans into the Church" which is clearly not the function of these modern churches. The facilities in question were established as temporary outposts, and the four listed above received the "Basilica" designation only after they had served their original purpose and had been "resurrected" by the Catholic Church many years later—each of the articles states as much.

These are all negative POV statements.

--Lordkinbote 07:53, 11 Apr 2005 (UTC)