A Tacoma priest and peace activist best known for breaking into a nuclear submarine base in Kitsap County has ended a two-week fast that drew sharp concern from some in the local faith and peace communities.
Father William “Bix” Bichsel, a Jesuit priest based at St. Leo’s Parish, had been fasting to protest “nuclear weapons, inhumane treatment at prisons and the separation of policy from conscience,” according to his attorney Blake Kremer.
The ailing 83-year-old broke his fast Wednesday, according to portions of a letter from him published in the Disarmnowplowshares blog, because he felt himself weakening.
Bichsel has been arrested in connection with peace protests and acts of civil disobedience numerous times.
In 2009, he was among five protesters who breached high-level security at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor by cutting through fences to reach bunkers where nuclear weapons are thought to be stored.
The group, which included another priest and a nun, set up banners, sprinkled blood on the ground, scattered sunflower seeds and prayed until they were arrested, court documents state.
Bichsel and the others ultimately were convicted of conspiracy, trespass and destruction of government property and were sentenced to terms ranging from two to 15 months.
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