Jun
23
St. Thomas More; Obedient Even Unto Death...
"I die the King's good servant, but God's first."
-- St. Thomas More is one of my favorite saints and subject of one of my favorite classic films, A Man for All Seasons. He was a 16th Century Oxford scholar, author and lawyer, who became Lord Chancellor of England during the reign of King Henry VIII, and was martyred for refusing to render alliance to the King over the Catholic Church.
At the time, King Henry wanted to divorce Catherine of Aragon to marry his lover, Anne Boleyn, and when Pope Clement VII denied him an annulment, he broke away from the Church and started his own; the Church of England, upon which he declared himself as spiritual head.
He demanded loyalty from his subjects, especially those in authority, and submission from the clergy.
-- St. Thomas More is one of my favorite saints and subject of one of my favorite classic films, A Man for All Seasons. He was a 16th Century Oxford scholar, author and lawyer, who became Lord Chancellor of England during the reign of King Henry VIII, and was martyred for refusing to render alliance to the King over the Catholic Church.
At the time, King Henry wanted to divorce Catherine of Aragon to marry his lover, Anne Boleyn, and when Pope Clement VII denied him an annulment, he broke away from the Church and started his own; the Church of England, upon which he declared himself as spiritual head.
He demanded loyalty from his subjects, especially those in authority, and submission from the clergy.
