Shoshone Gabrielino Nation files $50 million suit against archdiocese
Story-Date: 09:47 p.m. PST Friday   , December 19, 1997

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Shoshone Gabrielino Nation files $50 million suit against archdiocese



LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The Shoshone Gabrielino Nation filed a $50 million
lawsuit alleging an ancient burial ground is threatened by a cathedral
complex planned by the Roman Catholic archdiocese.

The suit, filed Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court, names Archbishop
Roger Mahony, head of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, and
the Community Development Agency of Los Angeles as defendants.

According to the suit, the city violated the California Environmental
Quality Act by approving the project on the northwest corner of Temple and
Hill streets without an appropriate impact study.

The tribe also claims the 1957 discovery of bones believed to be that of an
American Indian proves the site is a burial ground and should be preserved.

The plaintiffs call for "...unique archeological and historic sites be
fully disclosed and investigated," and for "all feasible mitigation
measures be implemented to reduce impacts to cultural and historic
sources."

Vera Rocha, chief of the Shoshone Gabrielino Nation, said the site is the
resting place of her people.

"The remains of our ancestors are buried there," Rocha said.

Rev. Gregory Coiro, spokesman for the archdiocese, said the
environmental impact study of the site, which outlines the property's
planned development, is sensitive to the tribe and provides for
preservation if anything is discovered at the site.

"Until we break ground and begin construction, we really don't know what we
are going to find," Coiro said. "We will have an archeologist and a Native
American monitor so if anything is found, it will be treated with respect
and dignity -- especially if they are human remains."

Rocha on Friday touched on the tribe's motivation for the suit, which
promises to pit the religious beliefs of the archdiocese against those of
the Shoshone Nation.

"Their flesh and blood and spirits remain here in Mother Earth's blanket,"
she said. "Just like many other cultures and religions, the Shoshone
Gabrielino people believe that our ancestors need to complete the circle of
life and return to Mother Earth and to rest in peace."



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