6 Supreme Court justices attend 'Red Mass'

(NECN/ABC: Washington, D.C.) - Six members of the Supreme Court attended the annual Red Mass in Washington, D.C. on Sunday held at St. Matthews Church. Chief Justice John Roberts, Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Antonin Scalia, Anthony Kennedy, Stephen Breyer and Samuel Alito and Vice President Joe Biden attended the Mass. Justice Clarence Thomas, the sixth Roman Catholic on the high court -- Justice Breyer is Jewish -- did not attend. As the attendees passed through security and entered the church, abortion opponents demonstrated across the street. Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, who delivered the homily, did not elaborate on the rights of the unborn, focusing instead on how the complexity of the law can have a de-humanizing effect on those who practice it. The Red Mass has been held since 1953 at the cathedral by the John Carroll Society, a group of Washington professionals who are Catholic. It is held the day before the opening of the Supreme Court term. The name of the service, which dates to the 13th century and is conducted to ask for guidance for those who seek justice, comes from the red vestments worn by the celebrants. <i>Material from The Associated Press used in this report.</i>