Pro-life priest cancelled over a joke
Nation First looks into the Anglican Catholic Church revoking Fr Calvin Robinson's license to minister.
Dear friend,
The Anglican Catholic Church (ACC), a traditionalist Christian denomination that broke away from the mainstream Anglican Communion to preserve historic Christian doctrine, has just revoked the ministry license of Father Calvin Robinson. The decision has sparked outrage across the Christian world, with prominent voices like author Eric Metaxas calling it “despicable” and “cowardly.”
The Anglican Catholic Church revoked Fr. Calvin Robinson’s license over a joke that was misinterpreted as offensive.
He was given no due process, no formal charges, and no opportunity to defend himself.
The ACC’s statement was politically biased, implying bad faith and framing him as trying to "curry favor" with the right.
Prominent Christians like Eric Metaxas have condemned the decision, calling it cowardly and unjust.
This sets a dangerous precedent, where priests can be removed based on media hysteria rather than truth.
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.
You can watch the entire speech, including the gesture in question, here:
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?
Until next time, God bless you, your family and nation.
Take care,
George Christensen
George Christensen is a former Australian politician, a Christian, freedom lover, conservative, blogger, podcaster, journalist and theologian. He has been feted by the Epoch Times as a “champion of human rights” and his writings have been praised by Infowars’ Alex Jones as “excellent and informative”.
George believes Nation First will be an essential part of the ongoing fight for freedom:
“The time is now for every proud patriot to step to the fore and fight for our freedom, sovereignty and way of life. Information is a key tool in any battle and the Nation First newsletter will be a valuable tool in the battle for the future of the West.”
— George Christensen.
Find more about George at his www.georgechristensen.com.au website.
I’ve never heard of the ACC but as a Catholic I’d have him in a heartbeat. He is such a courageous defender of truth and has suffered much persecution. God has big plans for this brave man. We live in strange times where people can get arrested for their thoughts and now cancelled over arm movements. Thanks for sharing this story.
Appalling and cowardly decision by the leadership! Sends all the wrong signals to everyone. I very much enjoyed his talk. Thanks for sharing.