THE PAPAL VISIT : Mahony Calls for Truce on Violence During Papal Visit

Los Angeles Archbishop Roger M. Mahony issued an appeal Thursday for youth gangs to “lay down your weapons during the Pope’s visit” and for freeway motorists to “leave your impatience and anger . . . (and) guns at home.”

Mahony called for a truce on violence during Pope John Paul II’s visit to Los Angeles as Catholic and civic officials made final preparations for his visit, which begins Tuesday.

The Pope could receive “no greater gift” from young people than “a halting of the youth gang violence,” said Mahony, who was accompanied at a news conference by Father Leon Modesto and several young Catholics who have worked with gangs.

115 Killings in 7 Months

Los Angeles police said 115 killings and 3,131 felony crimes related to gang activity were recorded in the city during the first seven months this year. On Southern California freeways, five people have been killed and 11 injured in more than 100 shooting incidents from mid-June through late August.

Though serious incidents have waned on the highways, Mahony said he aimed his appeal also at anger shown by drivers frustrated with delays.

“Who knows? If we get used to being courteous and caring on the freeways for even a few days, it might even become our normal freeway behavior,” he said.

Mahony also tried to allay fears that the archdiocese was not providing enough temporary toilet facilities for the people arriving early along the 7.2-mile route of the papal motorcade Tuesday.

Papal visit coordinator Walter McGuire said the archdiocese is “right now surveying all the blocks” of the route and will place rented temporary toilets wherever permanent facilities or temporary toilets brought in by parishes are not available. He gave no figures on how many were needed.

‘Seemed to Be Satisfied’

“We’ve worked with the department of health, and they seemed to be satisfied that there will be adequate facilities,” McGuire said.

Meanwhile, there were these other developments:

- The Los Angeles Police Commission has rejected the parade application of an immigration-advocacy group, the Coalition for Family Unity and Human Rights, which wanted to march along Broadway on Saturday. At first, police officials asked that the coalition simply move to Spring Street, one block away, in order not to interfere with preparations for the papal motorcade.

But when parade organizers declined to move, the Los Angeles Police Commission rejected the coalition’s application for a parade permit, a relatively rare occurence. Authorities cited limited manpower for their decision.

“We’re robbing Peter to pay Paul as it is,” said Capt. Richard L. Batson, who commands the Police Department’s Central Division station.

- City workers began staffing a telephone hot line to answer questions about traffic during the Pope’s 48-hour visit to Los Angeles. The hot line--in English, Spanish, Chinese or Korean--will be staffed by city Department of Transportation and Los Angeles Police Department employees from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. weekdays through Wednesday. The phone number is (213) 617-8500.

- Tenor Placido Domingo said Thursday that the Metropolitan Opera Company will not excuse him from final rehearsals of “Otello” Tuesday in New York and that is why last week he dropped out of a concert at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum prior to the Pope’s Tuesday Mass.