Fr. Calvin Robinson made a joke, perhaps in a little poor taste, or at least politically naïve. Others would have been ignored, but Fr. Robinson was on the social radar, being a British priest and conservative critic of the secularisation of Christianity. He also opposed abortion, gay marriage and the gender agenda. Hence, he was a target for the Left. They were waiting for an opportunity to nail him.
And Fr. Robinson, who liked jokes, on January 25, delivered a speech at the National Pro-Life Summit in Washington, D.C and at the end gave the same salute that Elon Musk made. While the Musk debate has now died down, this one did not, and Fr. Robinson had his licence revoked by the Anglican Catholic Church. There was no due process, no formal charges and no chance to defend himself. The Canon Law of the ACC provides that he should have been given due process and his full rights. Hence, there are solid grounds to sue them. Christians may be a little reluctant to sue the church, but if they fail to obey the rule of law, their rule of law, a person by not doing this is allowing a greater evil to win the day.
Beyond all else, this shows that anyone in such a position, be it academic, church or politics, needs to be mighty careful what they do with their hands, as Elon Musk found out the hard way.
https://nationfirst.substack.com/p/pro-life-priest-cancelled-over-a
"What was Fr. Robinson's crime? A joke.
Not a theological error. Not a moral failing. Not a scandalous act.
The ACC removed one of its most high-profile, unapologetically Christian, and pro-life priests—not because of what he did, but because of how some people chose to misinterpret it.
And the way they did it raises serious concerns about political bias, due process, and natural justice within the church.
Father Calvin Robinson is a British priest and conservative commentator who has been a leading voice in the fight against the secularisation of Christianity. His advocacy for traditional Christian values, including opposition to abortion and the redefinition of marriage, has made him a target of left-wing media and progressive activists.
He came to prominence after his sterling performance in a debate at Oxford on the question of whether Christianity should allow gay marriage.
Denied ordination in the Church of England for his conservative views, he instead pursued priestly formation through the Polish National Catholic Church, a recognised Old Catholic jurisdiction with valid Holy Orders. Eventually, he was received into the Anglican Catholic Church, where he served as a priest in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
On January 25, Fr Robinson delivered a speech at the National Pro-Life Summit in Washington, D.C., an event dedicated to training grassroots activists to defend the unborn.
At the end of his speech, he made a gesture that was a parody of recent hysteria in the media. Days earlier, billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk had been falsely accused of making a Nazi salute when he placed his hand over his heart and extended his arm outward to the crowd—a gesture commonly used to signal solidarity or appreciation.
Fr Robinson, known for his dry British humor, mocked this absurd controversy by briefly mimicking the same gesture at the end of his speech. The audience laughed. It was clearly a joke.
But bad-faith actors ignored the context, took a freeze-frame image of the moment, and presented it as if he had intentionally performed a Nazi salute.
And then the Anglican Catholic Church caved to the outrage mob.
On January 29, the Anglican Catholic Church's College of Bishops released a statement announcing that they had just been made aware of the situation hours beforehand that very day and that Fr Robinson's license to officiate had been revoked, meaning he was no longer allowed to serve as a priest in the ACC.
The statement was riddled with contradictions, political bias, and procedural irregularities.
The ACC statement announcing Fr Robinson's dismissal did not even charge him with doing a Nazi salute. Instead they said "we cannot say what was in Mr. Robinson's heart when he did this…"
If they couldn't determine his intent, how could they justify removing him from ministry?
Instead of presenting evidence, the statement focused on how some people "interpreted" the gesture, stating, "many have interpreted [his action] as a pro-Nazi salute."
Since when does the Church discipline priests based on public misinterpretation rather than truth?
The statement even framed Fr Robinson's action as political, suggesting that he was "attempting to curry favor with certain elements of the American political right by provoking its opposition."
This assumes bad faith without offering any proof. It is a political accusation, not a theological or moral one.
Further, the ACC dragged the Holocaust into a decision that had nothing to do with it, declaring, "We condemn Nazi ideology and anti-Semitism in all its forms."
By inserting this into the statement, the ACC implied guilt without proving anything—a tactic more common in political smears than in fair ecclesiastical judgments.
The way the statement referred to Fr Robinson as "Mr. Robinson" was also telling.
Fr Robinson was validly ordained in a lineage that Rome recognises as legitimate, yet the ACC chose to strip him of his title in their statement.
Even Pope Francis would refer to him as Father Robinson, but the ACC dismissed him as if he had never been ordained at all.
This misreference was a rather petty attack on the priest and speaks volumes about the motivations behind the statement.
Churches have disciplinary procedures for clergy who engage in misconduct. None of them were followed here.
Canon law guarantees priests basic due process rights, including formal notice of charges, a hearing where they can defend themselves, the presumption of innocence, and the right to appeal.
Instead, the ACC removed him near instantaneously—without a trial, without a formal accusation, and without allowing him to defend himself.
If this can happen to Fr Robinson, who else can the Church remove based on media hysteria and political pressure?
Prominent Christian author Eric Metaxas slammed the decision, posting the following statement to X:
"The 'leadership' at the Anglican Catholic Church have behaved DESPICABLY in defrocking my friend @CalvinRobinson, who is a heroic Christian & staunch defender of life. They have no sense of humor and—far worse—are cowards. SHAME ON THEM! Contact them! www.anglicancatholic.org"
Metaxas is not alone. More and more Christians are waking up to the flagrant injustice of this decision, particularly in the traditional Anglican world.
The Anglican Catholic Church claims to be a denomination that preserves traditional Christianity against modernist compromise.
But instead of standing by a bold, faithful, pro-life priest, they bowed to online outrage mobs and secular narratives. Instead of following due process, they cancelled one of their most well-known ministers merely hours after being made aware of the allegation against him. Instead of standing on Christian truth, they chose political appeasement.
Full disclosure: I am a member of the Anglican Catholic Church, and I cannot remain silent. This was not a fair, just, or proportionate decision. And unless it is challenged, it sets a dangerous precedent—one that every faithful priest should fear.
Fr Robinson deserves justice.
Will the ACC leadership correct this mistake?"