Sp ecial Grief Sectio n Inside Pages 1~GM - 8-GMJ
WAR COMES TO CITY OF PEACE : Smoke rises as Israeli tanks shell a p osition in Bethlehem Oct. 19. Israeli tanks and troops entered the outskirts of the Palestinian-controlled city afte r a surge in f i g hting f ollowing the assassination of afar-rig ht Israeli Cabinet minister.
POPE PLEADS 'IN NAME OF GOD' FOR END TO HOLY LAND VIOLENCE Catholic News Service •w% Si ope John Paul II pleaded "in the name of God" for an end to violence in the Holy Land, as an Israeli military operation left more than 20 dead in six Palestinian towns. "It is with deep sadness that 1 have heard the painful and worrying news from Bethlehem, as well as
from cities like Beit JaLla and Beit Sahour," the pope said at a Sunday blessing Oct. 21. "War and death have even arrived at the square of the Church of the Nativity of our Lord," he said. The day before, a 19-year-old Palestinian was shot and killed as he stood next to the church , the traditional site of Jesus' birth .
"In-the name of God I repeat once again: Violence is for everyone only a path of death and destruction that dishonors the holiness of God and the dignity of the human being, " the pope said. The Israeli incursions came after an Israeli Cabinet minister, Rechavam Zeevi, was gunned down HOLY LAND, page 7
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Calif o rnia Catholic Conference wins and loses in Leg islature
By Kamille Nixon
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Auxiliary Bishop Richard Garcia of Sacramento, a former San Francisco p riest, reads at the funeral Mass for his mother, Anita Garcia, in Church of the Epi p hany, the family 's home parish in San Francisco. Next to Bishop Garcia is retired Bishop Pierre DuMaine of San fose. At the far left is Archbishop William Levada. ~A story is on page 6~
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"¦f t was a mixed bag of victories and ^defeats for the California Catholic Conference, which lobbies on behalf of the state's bishops , in California 's General Assembly this year. The biggest victory for the CCC was AB 989 (Chan, D-Oakland). This law removes a sunset clause on programs that provide food and cash assistance to legal immigrants following the welfare reform of 1996. The CCC had been working to remove the annually renewed termination clauses for about three years, according to Carol Hogan, CCC associate director for pastoral projects and communications. The "most surprising" victory.
said Ms. Hogan, came when Gov. Gray Davis signed into law AB 540 (Firebau gh, D-Los Angeles) allowing • undocumented high school graduates to attend state universities at resident tuition levels. "Being that Gov. Davis is ultracautious we were surprised and gratified that he took such a bold step," Ms. Hogan said. "The students have already been educated at taxpayer expense and were already entrenched . in communities, " she said. "It's not as though they have come to this country only to get state residence status." . The biggest defeat for the conference: SB 780 (Ortiz, D-Sacramento), "which has the unfortunate name of 'protection of the exercise of LEGISLATURE, page 7
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