The Right of Sanctuary

The right of sanctuary was based on the inviolability attached to things sacred, and not, as some have held, on the example set by the Hebrew cities of refuge. It was recognized under the Code of Theodosius (399) and later by that of Justinian. Papal sanction was first given to it by Leo I, about 460, though the first Council of Orange had dealt with the matter in 441.

The earliest mention of sanctuary in England was in a code of laws promulgated by King Ethelbert in 600. The right of asylum was originally confined to the church itself, but in course of time its limits were extended to the precincts, and sometimes even to a larger area.

Violation of the protection of sanctuary was punishable by excommunication.

The right of sanctuary was also supported by the tradition begun in the early Byzantine period forbidding weapons of any kind in Church. Even the Emperor had to remove his weapons to enter the church.

The principle of sanctuary and the exclusion of weapons from the church is a necessary ideal to maintain the holiness of a church. The right of the people to pray in peace, to worship in peace, and to be free from acts of violence within the sanctuary is necessary to maintain the freedom of religion from the State.

However, there is a growing attitude that the right to keep and bear arms should extend even to the church. While I am a stalwart supporter of the right to keep and bear arms to protect us against the state and agressors, I oppose without reservation the introduction of arms into a church or other place of worship or sanctification like a shrine or cemetery. The church and it alone must decide whether a weapon will be allowed in a sanctuary.

Now is the time for civilization to speak up. We as a civilized people must not allow guns or weapons of any kind in the church without the express permission of the highest church authority.