-Prince of Peace  
Steve Kelly, SJ, has joined co-defendants Susan Crane and Phil Berrigan, each now serving their second federal prison sentence for the February, 1997 Prince of Peace Plowshares disarmament action aboard the USS the Sullivans at Bath Shipyards in Maine. While on parole from their original prison sentence for that action, the three joined with Liz Walz in December, 1999 for the Plowshares vs. Depleted Uranium direct disarmament of A-10 anti-tank aircraft in Maryland and served prison sentences of varying lengths. In August, Kelly was the last released from his Maryland prison sentence, from which he went directly into federal custody.

At a custody hearing before Federal Magistrate Susan Gauvey in Baltimore, Kelly refused to stand for the judge. When she asked him to stand, he replied that it is against his religion. "How is that?" she asked. Steve explained that he meant no disrespect personally, but that he could not give honor to an imperial court by standing. Because he could not guarantee he would report voluntarily for his probation violation hearing in Maine, Kelly was taken by federal marshals to Maine, where he was jailed until a September 25 hearing before the original trial judge. At the bench, Judge Gene Carter asked Kelly if he was guilty of violating his probation. Kelly responded that guilt would consist of an act of breaking trust and that the Prince of Peace Plowshares had been honest from the beginning that they would not keep supervised probation, so he did not feel that they violated that breach of trust. When Kelly was asked whether or not he had been part of the action in Maryland, he said, "Plowshares vs. Depleted Uranium was to save lives." Carter concluded that that was an admission of guilt and he therefore found him guilty.

Kelly returned for sentencing October 10. He asked the judge and prosecutor to consider how they sided with nuclear weapons in the context of the trial, and to express repentance and take responsibility for their role in supporting nuclear weapons. Kelly said that "nuclear weapons are sinful and a theft from the poor. The world is in a precarious situation." Kelly repeated that he could not abide by supervised release. As a Jesuit he must go where sin is committed, and in conscience he must address the existence of nuclear weapons nonviolently.

"If I am dangerous enough to require supervised release", Steve said, "then give me the maximum sentence. If you, Judge Carter, believe that nuclear weapons are very dangerous, illegal and sinful, then you will release me immediately. The decision is on you."

Carter responded that he had "a certain admiration for your conscience and dedication to your convictions," but added that "there is no basis for departure from court requirements based on conscience." He sentenced the priest to 14 more months in federal prison, not followed by any supervised release.

Philip Berrigan and Susan Crane are expected to be released from their one year sentence for probation violation on December 15, and return to Jonah House, their home community in Baltimore. Berrigan was among an unknown number of political prisoners held incommunicado in the wake of the attacks of September 11 (see Where We're At).

Letters of support should to Rev. Stephen Kelly S.J. #00816-111, FCI Ft. Dix, P.O. Box 7000, Ft. Dix, NJ 08640, and to Susan Crane and Philip Berrigan, c/o Jonah House, 1301 Moreland Ave., Baltimore, MD 21216.