5.15.2008
Update: Can You Be a Christo-Pagan in Prison?
Back in January, I blogged about a new policy within the Washington Department of Corrections that altered its stance regarding a prisoner's adherence to multiple faiths. Before, a prisoner had to get permission from each faith in order to declare adherence to multiple belief systems, but after a recent lawsuit this hurdle was removed, and now only a simple form needs to be filled out. This allowed for "Christo-Pagans" (specifically an Asatru-Catholic) to exist, and caused the head chaplain of McNeil Island prison, Catholic priest Tom Suss, to take a leave of absence in protest.
"Common sense says you cannot be a pagan Christian," [Rev. Tom Suss] said. "As a state chaplain, I must endorse state policy. I have to be willing to endorse this inmate's freedom to be both religions at the same time, but my own convictions being a Catholic priest don't allow for a Catholic to be a pagan at the same time ... Why should we allow them to be in prison what they can't be on the street?"
Much hand-wringing and editorializing ensued. The Washington state Senate unanimously approved a bill including a provision explicitly stating that prison chaplains don't have to perform actions contrary to their faith, even though no chaplain would be forced to do such a thing under the new guidelines. After that, things seemed to calm down. Chaplains opposed to dual-adherence were protected from hypothetical improprieties, and prisoners wanting to claim allegiance to multiple faiths could do so. But the new status-quo seemed to be too much for Tom Suss, who has resigned from the chaplaincy position at McNeil Island prison.
"The Rev. Tom Suss spent Monday afternoon at McNeil Island prison loading the contents of his office into his Hyundai Elantra. His last official day is today ... He's leaving because he disagrees with new rules that allow state inmates to simultaneously chose multiple religious affiliations with the flick of a pen ... Suss knows that even with the new rules, he would not have to perform any priestly duties that went against his faith, such as giving Communion to someone claiming to be both pagan and Catholic. But the principle of inmates being allowed to claim multiple and seemingly contradictory faiths was not something Suss could get past."
Rev. Suss leaving is most likely for the best. If he couldn't let go of the fact that chaplains don't have the authority or right to control a person's conscience, then he shouldn't be overseeing the spiritual well-being of these prisoners. Further, it is high time the Washington Department of Corrections appointed a Pagan chaplain, since Pagans outnumber Catholics (and are second only to Protestants) in the state prison system. The removal of Suss, who had been accused of anti-Pagan actions, and the appointment of a Pagan chaplain would be a good start to remedying the "endemic" discrimination against modern Pagans in our state and federal prisons.
Labels: Chaplaincy, Christianity, Christopagans, law, Paganism, Prison
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