(RNS) — The Rev. Calvin Robinson, a priest and British transplant living in Grand Rapids, Michigan, whose license was revoked in January after making a Nazi-like salute, is once again unable to serve as priest after an Anglican bishop granted, then rescinded, Robinson a temporary license.
The Rev. Calvin Robinson speaks at the Oxford Union Society in Oxford, England, in February 2023. (Video screen grab)
“After much prayer and counsel from fellow bishops, who have not required me to revoke licensure, I have decided that I must withdraw it effective this day,” wrote the Most Rev. Ray Sutton, presiding bishop of the Reformed Episcopal Church, in an email posted on Robinson’s Instagram story Wednesday (May 14). Sutton confirmed to RNS that he withdrew the license.
Nearly four months ago, the Anglican Catholic Church revoked Robinson’s license to serve in that denomination after he concluded his speech at the National Pro-Life Summit with a brief, straight-arm salute. The gesture, which he has since apologized for, was similar to Elon Musk’s controversial salute during an Inauguration Day speech at Capitol One Arena, which was also compared to a Nazi salute. Robinson had also been accused of making antisemitic statements and was “warned repeatedly to desist from his overtly provocative behavior,” according to the Anglican Catholic Church.
On Monday, Robinson announced he would resume his priestly duties at St. Paul’s Anglican Church in Grand Rapids, where he had previously served as rector beginning in fall 2024. St. Paul’s, he shared in a video update, disaffiliated with the Anglican Catholic Church on May 4. Robinson said he had also resigned from the Anglican Catholic Church and had been licensed by another jurisdiction, allowing him to preach and administer the sacraments.
That jurisdiction was the Reformed Episcopal Church, a distinct jurisdiction in the Anglican Church in North America, known as ACNA, which broke away from the Episcopal Church in 2009. Earlier this month, Sutton, the presiding bishop of the Reformed Episcopal Church, who also oversees its Diocese of Mid-America, granted Robinson a one-year license to serve as a priest. The arrangement, Sutton told RNS previously, did not grant Robinson or his parish membership in the Reformed Episcopal Church (or, by extension, ACNA) — instead, the parish was considered “independent.”
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However, on Monday, ACNA Archbishop Steve Wood released a public statement expressing concerns about Robinson’s public profile. The Reformed Episcopal Church is self-governing but operates under the umbrella of the Anglican Church in North America, according to a spokesperson for the denomination.
“I am concerned to have the Anglican Church of North America affiliated with a leader whose public comments and persona consistently fail to exhibit the love and grace of Jesus Christ,” said Wood’s statement.
By Wednesday evening, Sutton had emailed Robinson to say that he revoked Robinson’s license. Sutton’s email did not provide a reason for the decision. In an Instagram story post, Robinson wrote a caption that said, “Bp Ray Sutton is a good man. One of the best Anglican bishops I know. If even he cannot find a place for me, even temporarily, perhaps God is sending me a message.” Robinson’s Twitter account no longer appears active.
Robinson is known for his strong opposition to feminism, women’s ordination, abortion and the “liberal infestation of the church.” Since being denied a position in the Church of England in 2022, he’s been affiliated with several conservative Anglican jurisdictions, including the Free Church of England (also known as the Reformed Episcopal Church of the United Kingdom and Ireland), the Nordic Catholic Church in England, the Anglican Catholic Church and, most recently, the Reformed Episcopal Church.
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