Michigan Priest Who Mimicked Musk's Gesture Has License Revoked By Church

By Peter Aitken

NEWSWEEK

January 30, 2025

The Anglican Catholic Church has punished the Michigan priest who mimicked Elon Musk's controversial gesture by revoking his license, meaning he can no longer serve in any of the church's dioceses.

The Context

British conservative Calvin Robinson, who briefly held the role of priest-in-charge at St. Paul's Anglican Catholic Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, attended the National Pro-Life Summit in Washington, D.C., on January 25.

Following his speech, he made the same straight-armed gesture used by Musk during his Inauguration Day speech, even repeating, "my heart goes out to you." He pinned a video of the moment to his profile on X, formerly Twitter.

Musk smacked his chest and forcefully extended his right arm during a speech on January 20 during a rally after President Donald Trump was sworn in for his second term. Musk then turned and repeated the gesture, saying, "My heart goes out to you."

Many had accused Musk of making a Nazi salute, citing his support of far-right political leaders in Europe—particularly the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party—as reasons to suspect the gesture was not innocent. But supporters have insisted that Musk has no Nazi link, and that the motion was an innocent gesture to send his "heart" to the crowd.

The Tesla and SpaceX CEO tapped to lead Trump's Department of Government Efficiency has Asperger's syndrome, a developmental disorder falling under the autism spectrum that could hinder social interactions and the ability to decipher body language.

What To Know

While Robinson made the gesture on Saturday, it was not until Wednesday when video of it showed up on social media. The College of Bishops of Anglican Catholic Church in the United States issued a statement on Thursday condemning the action and announcing that Robinson had been defrocked, hinting that the act was possibly the latest in a series of actions he had taken.

"While we cannot say what was in Mr. Robinson's heart when he did this, his action appears to have been an attempt to curry favor with certain elements of the American political right by provoking its opposition," the statement posted on the church's website said.

"Mr. Robinson had been warned that online trolling and other such actions (whether in service of the left or right) are incompatible with a priestly vocation and was told to desist," the statement continued. "Clearly, he has not, and as such, his license in this Church has been revoked. He is no longer serving as a priest in the ACC."

What Did the Anglican Catholic Church Say?

In an email response to a Newsweek request for comment, the Right Reverend Dr. Damien Mead, bishop ordinary of the Diocese of the United Kingdom, said that the decision to revoke Robinson's license was taken as "a local diocesan decision for the Archbishop and bishops involved in the United States."

“Similarly, the decision to relicense him in the future rests with them, although the revocation is unlikely to be reversed,” Mead wrote. “It was not taken lightly nor simply in response to the alleged connotation of the hand gesture he made.”

“Mr Robinson was briefly the Priest in Charge of the ACC Church of St Paul’s, Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA,” Mead explained. “He moved to the USA in 2024 to take up this position, in doing so he resigned from the Nordic Catholic Church which had only recently priested him.”

“As Bishop Ordinary of the Anglican Catholic Church’s Diocese of the United Kingdom I fully endorse the decision taken by the American ACC in this matter and agree fully with the statement issued by the ACC in the USA,” he added.

What People Are Saying

Calvin Robinson on Wednesday wrote on X: "Today I received hundreds of nasty calls, texts, voicemails and emails today from very bitter, angry, vile leftists. They are often the very thing they accuse you of. I am not a Nazi. But I forgive you of your ignorance. My heart goes out to you!"

The College of Bishops of the Anglican Catholic Church said in their statement: "We understand that this is not just an administrative matter. The Holocaust was an episode of unspeakable horror, enacted by a regime of evil men. We condemn Nazi ideology and anti-Semitism in all its forms. And we believe that those who mimic the Nazi salute, even as a joke or an attempt to troll their opponents, trivialize the horror of the Holocaust and diminish the sacrifice of those who fought against its perpetrators. Such actions are harmful, divisive, and contrary to the tenets of Christian charity."

What Happens Next

Mead said that as Robinson is no longer a priest in the Anglican Catholic Church, "any further action that may be taken will be a decision within or outside the Church for those in the USA."

Robinson became lead spokesman for the right-wing U.K. Independence Party (UKIP) in summer 2024, where he will likely return and resume his political activities. He had run as a member of the Conservative Party in a by-election in 2016 and in a council election 2018, both times defeated by Labour Party candidates.

END