According to a statement on the Anglican Catholic Church’s website, Calvin Robinson was removed from his position Wednesday after a video was posted to X of a speech he made at the Washington D.C. summit. In the video, Robinson is shown “making a gesture that many have interpreted as a pro-Nazi salute.”
Robinson: “So, God bless all of you for what you’re doing. Please keep doing it. I hope that I can encourage you, and my heart goes out to you. God bless.”
The church’s statement went on to read, “We condemn Nazi ideology and anti-Semitism in all its forms. And we believe that those who mimic the Nazi salute, even as a joke or an attempt to troll their opponents, trivialize the horror of the Holocaust and diminish the sacrifice of those who fought against its perpetrators.”
Robinson was a conservative commentator and priest in the United Kingdom before moving to Grand Rapids in 2024, where he served as Priest-in-charge at Saint Paul’s Anglican Catholic Church.
In a statement on his Facebook page, Robinson wrote, “For the record, in case it needs saying: I am not a Nazi. The joke at the end was a mockery of the hysterical ‘liberals’ who called Elon Musk a Nazi for quite clearly showing the audience his heart was with them. I will take the consequences as they come.”
You can read the Anglican Catholic Church's full statement below:
"A Statement on Calvin Robinson
At approximately 3:00 pm today (1/29) members of the College of Bishops of the ACC were made aware of a post made on X showing the end of a speech made by Calvin Robinson at the National Pro-Life Summit in Washington, DC. In it, he closed his comments with a gesture that many have interpreted as a pro-Nazi salute.
While we cannot say what was in Mr. Robinson’s heart when he did this, his action appears to have been an attempt to curry favor with certain elements of the American political right by provoking its opposition. Mr. Robinson had been warned that online trolling and other such actions (whether in service of the left or right) are incompatible with a priestly vocation and was told to desist. Clearly, he has not, and as such, his license in this Church has been revoked. He is no longer serving as a priest in the ACC.
Furthermore, we understand that this is not just an administrative matter. The Holocaust was an episode of unspeakable horror, enacted by a regime of evil men. We condemn Nazi ideology and anti-Semitism in all its forms. And we believe that those who mimic the Nazi salute, even as a joke or an attempt to troll their opponents, trivialize the horror of the Holocaust and diminish the sacrifice of those who fought against its perpetrators. Such actions are harmful, divisive, and contrary to the tenets of Christian charity.
Finally, we pray that God will give us grace to lay aside our unhappy divisions, and we commend our nation and ourselves to his Almighty protection."
You can read Calvin Robinson's full Facebook statement below:
"For the record, in case it needs saying: I am not a Nazi.
I gave a talk at a pro-life event that seemed to go down well, I am pleased to have contributed to what I believe to be the most important of causes. The enemy hates that, of course, and the attacks have been plentiful. That is fine and to be expected.
The joke at the end was a mockery of the hysterical “liberals” who called Elon Musk a Nazi for quite clearly showing the audience his heart was with them. Context is key, but sometimes people ignore context to confirm their own prejudices. People see what they want to see.
My attempt at dry wit, in that typical British way, was not a joke at the expense of WWII, nor an admission of my membership in the Nationalist Socialist Party. That would be an incredibly ignorant and bad faith assumption to make. The responses are very telling, though. The people who understand, cheer - those who have eyes to see. The people who do not want to understand, reach for their pitchforks. They have found a new channel for their hated. They remain in my prayers; may the Lord soften their hearts.
Do not let the liberals distract from the real issue, the matter at hand, that we are allowing and enabling infanticide, and it must stop.
Whether a silly old cleric like me makes a poor joke is irrelevant. Do not be swayed and distracted by the enemy whispering in your ears. Focus on the light.
All human life is sacred. Imago Dei.
I will take the consequences as they come. Those of us in the pro-life camp adorn the full armour of God.
You can consider my joke crass. But I ask you to consider if your responses have been proportionate?"
