Proclamation on 850th Anniversary of the Martyrdom of Saint Thomas Becket
(www.whitehouse.gov)
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People forget the power the Pope had back then.
Kings derived their claims of power due to being 'appointed by God'. So if you defied the Pope, he could excommunicate you - removing your claim to the throne, and expressly encouraging revolution and invasion.
These tussles between crown and Rome were never about religion, but power. Becket didn't deserve to be murdered, but at the same time he was defending the principle of Roman supremacy over British laws.
He wasn't an icon of freedom. Just because he was a victim of tyranny doesn't mean he wasn't a proponent of a competing form of tyranny.
The process of limiting the political power of the church is as noble as that of limiting the power of kings. Look at Iran for what can happen otherwise.
Would anyone here really want the current Pope to effectively have power over Trump? The ability to greenlight the US military to oust him, and handpick his own successor?
Because that's what Becket stood for.
Well said. Of course, I would never judge a man like Becket. History is full of examples of bravery that are not black and white. He also did not deserve to be murdered.
But the irony is, if he had his way and the murderer came from his church - he could not be punished with death or anything else. Only "defrocked" and sent away.