Bishop Critical of Sanctuary Given to Army Deserter
Diocesan Press Service. April 25, 1969 [76-12]
NEW YORK, N.Y. (DPS) -- The Rt. Rev. Richard S. Emrich, Bishop of the Diocese of Michigan, was sharply critical of the "sanctuary" given Army deserter Tom Sincavitch by St. Joseph's Episcopal Church in Detroit.
In a letter to his Diocese, Bishop Emrich stated that he supported the right of conscientious objection and civil disobedience, but that such objection and disobedience must be done with respect for the government.
"What is out of bounds," he said, "is to taunt government as such. .... Government is of God, a divine ordinance. It is out of bounds to ridicule it, to seek to make it a laughing stock, to plan a confrontation whose aim is to make the majesty of the law amusing."
" For what other reasons were the identical name tags worn by many people and the whole plan given the widest publicity?" he asked.
The Bishop also said he regretted the Rev. Robert E. Morrison, rector of St. Joseph's, had not consulted with the Diocese.
The Senior Warden of St. Joseph's, in a letter to the Diocese sent the same day as the Bishop's, explained:
"Tom Sincavitch served in the United States Army Reserve. He attempted to resign as a result of his moral revulsion against riot training in the summer of 1968. "
"He sought sanctuary of St. Joseph's not in the expectation that this action would in any way avoid arrest, but in an effort to emphasize his moral protest. The action was non-violent; he did not resist arrest. "