Prominent public officials and military figures turned out at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace yesterday for the annual Red Mass, presided over for the first time by Bishop Larry Silva.

Among those present: Chief Justice Ronald Moon, Lt. Gov. James "Duke" Aiona, House Speaker Calvin Say and Adm. William J. Fallon, commander of the Hawai'i-based U.S. Pacific Command, who has been tapped to oversee the Iraq war.

Bishop Silva prayed over the Hawai'i leaders and included a hint of politics, urging public servants and congregants to guard against acts that he characterized as legal but unconscionable, such as high malpractice insurance for doctors, overpriced housing and media distortions, calling them forms of "bloodless violence" that occur each day.

"What seems to be good is not always so," Silva told the crowd of about 300. "And what seems to be bad is not always so, either. We need to be discerning, to see not only our needs but the needs of others, to be attentive to the consequences of our actions, so that the legal violence perpetrated on so many lives can end."

Silva's Gospel reading was from Matthew 5:38-48, the famous Scripture that urges Christians to turn the other cheek.

Mixing the tradition-rich ceremony with glad-handing public officials led to some jarring moments: Some legislators shook hands with constituents as they walked the line to the solemn sacrament of Holy Eucharist, and during the Kiss of Peace, some posed for flash snapshots.

Yet tolerance was the keyword of the day yesterday, as the nearly 50 priests and religious leaders, including the soon-to-retire Bishop Richard Chang of the Episcopal Diocese of Hawai'i, raised their hands and prayed for the dozens of visiting public servants.

In return, the lei-laden officials bowed their heads respectfully.

The annual Red Mass, a tradition for more than half a century in which elected officials and other public servants are celebrated by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Honolulu, is held at the beginning of each legislative season. It's a chance for lawmakers and public officials to show face with leaders of the state's largest faith group, and it's a time for the church to offer a prayer of wisdom and guidance for those who oversee Hawai'i's affairs in their official capacities.