Prison a gift says jailed 84 year old activist nun

Friday, February 21st, 2014

An 84 year old Catholic nun was sentenced to prison, February 18, for breaking into a Tennessee nuclear weapons facility and defacing its walls in July 2012.

Sr Megan Rice a member of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus was sentenced to 35 months in prison on one count of depredation of property and one count of sabotage.

In her closing statement, Rice asked the judge to sentence her to life in prison, even though sentencing guidelines called for about six years.

“Please have no leniency with me,” she said.

“To remain in prison for the rest of my life would be the greatest gift you could give me.”

She said the U.S. government was spending too much money on weapons and the military, and she told the judge about the many letters of support she had received, including one from youth in Afghanistan.

Although officials said there was never any danger of the protesters reaching materials that could be detonated or made into a dirty bomb, the break-in raised questions about safekeeping at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge.

The facility holds the nation’s primary supply of bomb-grade uranium and was known as the “Fort Knox of uranium.”

After the break-in, the complex had to be shut down, security forces were re-trained and contractors were replaced.

Michael Walli, 65, and Greg Boertje-Obed, 58, were sentenced to 62 months in prison each on the same counts.

Attorney Bill Quigley, who represented the activists pro bono, told Catholic News Service Feb. 19 all three protesters were prepared to accept any sentence the judge handed down.

“Sister Megan told me if the judge released her, that would be a victory and if she was sentenced that would be a victory,” Quigley said.

After hearing her sentence, Sister Megan “raised her palms and just smiled,” Quigley said.

“She’s in great health. She enjoys the people she’s in prison with and she feels she’s performing a ministry there,” he added.

Sources