Catholic News Service has published the following briefs, covering these topics: Catholic father mourned in Portland; Pence at National Catholic Prayer Breakfast; Questions surround Cameroonian bishop’s death; Religious sisters on martial law; Retirement plans for Church-run hospitals; Prayers for London attack victims.

Hundreds mourn man killed during heroic act to protect fellow passengers
PORTLAND, Ore. (CNS) -- The morning after police in Portland arrested 14 demonstrators at dueling political protests, about 800 worshippers turned out in a unified show of support for a man whose heroic act transcended division. Ricky Best was laid to rest in Willamette National Cemetery in Portland June 5 after a funeral Mass at a packed Christ the King Church in the suburb of Milwaukie. On hand were Christians, Muslims, Jews, peace activists and members of a motorcycle club that backs President Donald Trump. "Many of us consider him a hero. Many of us in the Church consider him a martyr," said Msgr. Richard Paperini, pastor of Christ the King. Best, a 53-year-old city of Portland employee, was one of three men who stepped forward May 26 to defend two teens on a Portland commuter train. The girls, one in a Muslim headscarf and the other black, were the target of an anti-Muslim and racist verbal attack from 35-year-old Jeremy Christian. When Best -- along with 23-year-old Taliesin Myrddin Namkai-Meche and 21-year-old Micah Fletcher -- spoke up, Christian pulled a knife and slashed at the men. Best and Namkai-Meche died and Fletcher was hospitalized. Police apprehended Christian, who has been arraigned on charges of aggravated murder.

Pence addresses religious freedom at National Catholic Prayer Breakfast
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Vice President Mike Pence and other speakers addressed securing religious liberty and protecting the sanctity of human life both in the United States and worldwide, particularly in the Middle East, at the 13th annual National Catholic Prayer Breakfast in Washington June 6. Pence spoke about President Donald Trump's commitment to the securing of all religious freedoms to over 1,200 attendees, following speeches by keynote speaker Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, head of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services, and special guest Mother Olga of the Sacred Heart. Pence expressed his sorrow over the recent terrorist attacks in Europe, reassuring those in attendance that the president is committed to ending attacks on religious liberty around the world, as well as in America. "Catholicism has made an indelible mark on the American spirit," Pence said. "Your faith has moved mountains and the Catholic Church, and its millions of parishioners have been a force for good in our communities large and small throughout our land throughout our history. All the great American Catholics gathered here, let me assure you this morning, bright and early, at this prayer breakfast: American Catholics have an ally in President Donald Trump.

Questions surround Cameroonian bishop's reported suicide
OXFORD, England (CNS) -- Catholic leaders in Cameroon have urged prayers for one of the African country's bishops, whose remains were pulled from a river June 2, three days after his apparent suicide. "This is a catastrophe for Cameroon, and particularly for our Catholic Church," said a June 5 statement on the bishops' conference website. "We place our confidence in those helping the country and Church by inquiring into the explicit causes of the death of this man of God, about whose level-headedness, thoughtfulness, wisdom, patience and gentleness no one had a bad word to say," the statement said. Archbishop Samuel Kleda of Douala, bishops' conference president, had gone with Archbishop Jean Mbarga of Yaounde to identify the body of Bishop Jean-Marie Benoit Bala of Bafia, after it was found by a fisherman in the Sanaga River, near Monatele, the bishops' conference said.

Philippine religious superiors call for end to martial law in Mindanao
MANILA, Philippines (CNS) -- The Association of Major Religious Superiors in the Philippines called for an end to martial law in Mindanao, saying that it is "not the proper response to terrorist attacks in just one city on a vast island. The declaration of martial law is an extreme measure, and based on the reports we have received ... is a reaction disproportionate to the situation," said the statement issued June 6 by the influential organization. The association encompasses the superiors and heads of religious congregations that run most of the country's top universities and institutions. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte declared martial across the southern part of the country after gunmen claiming to have links with the Islamic State group stormed the city of Marawi May 23. The gunmen took several hostages, including Father Teresito Suganob, vicar of the Prelature of Marawi. The religious leaders called the government's response in Mindanao "drastic" and maintained that it served to "enhance the perception of power and social impact that the terrorist group aims to achieve locally and internationally," ucanews.com reported. 

High court sides with Church-run hospitals, upholds retirement plans
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The Supreme Court June 5 unanimously overturned decisions by three separate federal appellate courts and ruled that the retirement plans of three Church-affiliated hospital systems -- two of them Catholic -- are indeed "Church plans" as defined by Congress under a 1980 statute. The 8-0 decision allows the hospital systems to continue to maintain their retirement plans as nonprofit entities instead of having to put them on the same footing as those established by for-profit companies. The two Catholic hospital systems in the case were St. Peter's Healthcare System, a teaching hospital and several other medical facilities sponsored by the Diocese of Metuchen, New Jersey, and Dignity Health, which runs a network of community hospitals throughout the country and maintains ties to the Catholic religious orders that initially sponsored some of its facilities. The case, Advocate Healthcare Network v. Stapleton, also involved Advocate Health Care Network, which operates 12 hospitals and about 250 other health care facilities in Illinois, and is associated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the United Church of Christ. 

English archbishop offers prayers, sympathy for victims of London attack
MANCHESTER, England (CNS) -- Archbishop Peter Smith of Southwark, the archdiocese that covers London south of the River Thames, where a terrorist attack June 3 claimed 7 lives and injured 48 people, offered prayers for the victims and survivors. "Following the tragic attack on innocent people last Saturday evening in the Borough, we pray for those who have been killed and those who were injured, some critically, and I offer our sympathy to their families, friends and colleagues," Archbishop Smith said in a June 6 statement. The incident unfolded, authorities said, when three men in a van mowed down people on the London Bridge and then left the vehicle to go on a killing spree in Borough Market, a popular restaurant and bar district located south of the river. Some people in the market area attempted to stop the attackers by throwing chairs and bottles at them, police said. The three men were shot and killed by police at the scene. "I want to thank the police, the other emergency services and members of the public who rushed to help the victims," said the archbishop, who serves as the vice president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales.