Philip Berrigan, 79; Led Catholic Anti-War Movement

BALTIMORE —  Philip Berrigan, the patriarch of the Roman Catholic anti-war movement, died Friday night of liver and kidney cancer, his family said. He was 79.

Berrigan led a group that staged one of the most dramatic protests of the 1960s. They doused homemade napalm on a small bonfire of draft records in a Catonsville, Md., parking lot, an act that ignited a generation of anti-war dissent. More recently, he helped found the Plowshares movement, whose members have attacked federal military property in anti-war and anti-nuclear protests.

Berrigan’s family said he was diagnosed with cancer two months ago and decided to stop chemotherapy a month ago. His brother, the Rev. Daniel Berrigan, officiated over last rites ceremonies Nov. 30 attended by friends and peace activists, family members said.

A complete obituary will appear in Sunday’s edition.