Alex Mooney: “A few weeks ago, on June 22, it was the feast day of St. Thomas More. I was unable to get to the House floor that day…”

“A few weeks ago, on June 22, it was the feast day of St. Thomas More. I was unable to get to the House floor that day, so I am going to tell you a little bit about him today. Sir Thomas More was known in the early 1500s as a Renaissance man who was an English lawyer, author, social philosopher, and a statesman. More is most notably known for his opposition to King Henry VIII's separation from the Catholic Church and refusing to acknowledge King Henry as the supreme head of the Church of England. Thomas More was later convicted of treason and lost his own head in 1535. St. Thomas More was canonized in 1935 by Pope Pius XI and was hailed by Pope John Paul II as the ``heavenly patron of statesmen and politicians.'' At a time when our country faces deep partisan divides, let us look toward St. Thomas More for guidance and strength. In the words of St. More, ``When statesmen forsake their own private consciences for the sake of their public duties, they lead their country by a short route to chaos.'' ____________________”