Joseph Aloysius Durick

Joseph Aloysius Durick (October 13, 1914 – June 26, 1994) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church.

Durick publicly opposed United States participation in the Vietnam War and the death penalty, which led to criticism from conservative circles.

Durick also directed efforts at ecumenical cooperation with Protestant and Jewish communities in Tennessee, as well as introducing Project Equality.

Durick was inspired to lead the Catholic Church in Tennessee into a new era by the reforms initiated by Pope John XXIII in the Second Vatican Council.

King responded with his "Letter from Birmingham Jail", voicing disappointment in the white clergy, who should be "among our strongest allies".

This, and the message he got from Vatican II, led Durick to become a strong voice for civil rights [citation needed] in the segregated South, for which he was called a heretic and a communist by his tradition-bound congregation.