The State : Flock Taking Dispute to Pope

A delegation of about 100 dissident Vietnamese Catholics has left San Jose for the Vatican where they will ask the Pope to intervene in a bitter dispute that has divided local church members. The dissidents say their San Jose mission should be upgraded to a parish so they can worship in their own language and culture. At present, the group is refusing to accept the Rev. Paul Luu Dinh Duong as pastor of their 8,000-member Vietnamese Catholic community. Duong succeeded the Rev. Nguyen Tinh, a longtime leader of the refugee Catholic community who was transferred to another post.