Episcopal Press and News

Cathedral Drops Charges Against Antiwar Protesters

Episcopal News Service. September 17, 1991 [91183J]

Authorities at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City withdrew charges of criminal trespass against eight people, including a diocesan priest, who peacefully protested an interfaith service on June 9 marking the end of the Persian Gulf War. Canon George Packard, canon to the ordinary at the cathedral, acknowledged, "Plain and simple, this whole thing was an embarrassment." Shortly before the service, the Rev. Robert Castle of St. Mary's Church in Manhattanville, two members of his parish, and five independent protesters were escorted from the cathedral during a security sweep, handcuffed on church grounds, and then detained for several hours at the local police precinct. According to Packard, the detentions came after Bishop Richard Grein, when informed by police that only arrests would ensure an orderly service, "told the police that he would prefer there be no arrests, but to 'do what you have to do.'" Castle and others were holding a peace vigil protesting the participation of General Norman Schwartzkopf, General Colin Powell, and Defense Secretary Dick Cheney as guest speakers at the invitation-only service. Castle argued that highlighting the three "precluded any ability of the church to have a sense of regret or mourning about the devastation in the Middle East." When Dr. Mohammed T. Mehdi, secretary general of the National Council of Islamic Affairs, later described the cathedral's follow-up "service of atonement" as an effort "to cleanse the temple [because] it was desecrated by the militarists," cathedral officials issued a strong retort. The Rev. Joel Gibson, subdean of St. John the Divine, said that the atonement service was unrelated to the June 9 service. Cathedral officials remained adamant in their insistence that the Persian Gulf-related service was never intended as a celebration of victory.