Five Supreme Court Justices Attend "Red Mass;" Preacher Says Church Aware of Complex Law

The Roman Catholic Church blessed lawmakers, attorneys, judges, and other legal professionals yesterday, during the annual Red Mass at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington, D.C., according to the Christian Post website.

Among those in attendance were four of the U.S. Supreme Court's six Catholic justices and one of the court's three Jewish justices.

In anticipation of the official opening of the Supreme Court's fall term on October 4, 2010, Archbishop Augustine Di Noia continued the 700-year-old tradition of this year's homily by praying for "consolation, peace, and solace" among other blessings to be upon those in the legal profession today.

"The Church." he said, "understands the nearly overwhelming complexity of the climate which envelops the practice of law and the administration of justice today."

"It was precisely such complexity that gave rise to the legal profession in the 13th century, as popes, kings, and bishops found it impossible to carry out their duties without expert legal advice," the Vatican cleric recalled in his Sunday homily.