8 Cardinals Pray for Wounded Boy
A 13-year-old Whittier youth who was severely wounded in a random drive-by shooting and afterward prayed for his assailants was honored Friday by eight American cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church.
Richard Bautista was shot in September and spent five months in a hospital before being sent home for further recovery. “We must pray for those who shot me,” he said. “They do not have love in their hearts.”
On Friday, he received the American Cardinals Encouragement Award at a black-tie dinner at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel.
Bautista was not present. His parents, Hector and Ramona Bautista, accepted the award on his behalf. But the young man, confined to a wheelchair, attended a mass Friday afternoon at the Church of the Good Shepherd that was con-celebrated by the cardinals.
“Richard’s response to the shooting has been a challenge to us all,” said Cardinal Roger M. Mahony, the archbishop of Los Angeles.
The cardinals were in Los Angeles for an annual benefit dinner for the Catholic University of America. Those in attendance included Cardinals Mahony, James A. Hickey of Washington, Bernard Law of Boston, Joseph Bernardin of Chicago, John O’Connor of New York, Anthony Bevilacqua of Philadelphia, William H. Keeler of Baltimore and Adam J. Maida of Detroit.
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