I think you can find some rationales for that if we look at the background out of which he came. Martin [Luther King] had come out of a highly competitive, black, middle-class background.
[Martin Luther] King was one of the two young ministers - and you know how directly oriented the Negro community still is towards the minister as the leader.
Martin [Luther King] wasn't, basically, the kind of person - certainly at the stage that I knew him closest - wasn't the kind of person you could engage in dialogue with, certainly, if the dialogue questioned the almost exclusive rightness of his position.
There would have been no Bach had there been no Luther.
Martin Luther King Jr., recognized bias when he saw it, knew what he was talking about.
Martin Luther King Jr. has inspired millions of people, and this memorial will ensure that his message endures for generations to come.
(Martin Luther King Day) promotes understanding. It pulls people together.
Martin Luther King belonged to another transcendent generation. A generation born into segregation; a generation freed from racism's restraints by their own efforts; a generation equally determined to see their way as free women and men.
I hope that the opening of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial will be a life-altering experience that inspires every American to rededicate themselves to the fulfillment of Dr. King's dream.
As however the ancients say that in case of necessity any Christian lay person can administer the sacrament of baptism, so Luther says the same thing about absolution in case of necessity, where no priest is present.