The
lives of St. Thomas More and St. John Fisher are very closely linked,
and thus it is quite appropriate that the Church celebrate their feasts
together. They are both renowned Englishmen martyred within two weeks of
each other for the same cause of defending religious liberty, the
sanctity of marriage and Papal authority against State usurpation. They
were both associates of King Henry VIII before his apostasy, and it was
at his hands that they both suffered martyrdom.
Sir
Thomas More was a distinguished statesman in the English Parliament.
First and foremost, however, he was a faithful Catholic, a loving
husband, and a devoted father. More was widely known for his “unfailing
moral integrity, sharpness of mind, his open and humorous character, and
his extraordinary learning." He was a close friend and confidant of
Henry VIII, and the King himself eventually promoted Thomas to the
prominent office of Lord Chancellor. However, the two were alienated
when Thomas refused to compromise his conscience and faith when Henry
openly defied Church teachings and divorced his wife to marry Anne
Boleyn, choosing instead to renounce the King’s friendship, his own
public career, wealth and worldly prestige. Thomas was consequently
imprisoned in the Tower of London and eventually condemned and beheaded
on July 6, 1535. He was named patron saint of statesmen and politicians
by Pope John Paul II.
A
friend of St. Thomas More’s, St. John Fisher also had a close
connection to Henry VIII, having once been his tutor, and was a friend
of the royal family. As the Bishop of Rochester, he was known as a man
of great leaning and deep and unshakable faith. He was supported by the
King and appointed to the lifetime position of Chancellor of the
University of Cambridge. However, he too fell into disfavor with Henry
when he also opposed the King’s unlawful divorce of Queen Catherine of
Aragon. Bishop Fisher courageously warned Parliament of Henry’s
encroaching powers over the Church in England in direct disregard of the
Papal audit, and publicly preached against the divorce from the pulpit
at the same time as Sir Thomas More was resigning his high office. By
thus calling down the King’s fury on himself, the holy Bishop of
Rochester suffered multiple imprisonments in the Tower, during which
time he was made a Cardinal by the authority of Pope Paul III – an
appointment which Henry rejected. Fisher was condemned to be hung, drawn
and quartered; and, although originally sentenced to be killed on June
24, the feast of St. John the Baptist, the King had a superstitious fear
of executing him on that feast because of the strong resemblance of the
deaths of these two saints, and instead had him beheaded – ironically
just like John the Baptist after all – two days earlier, on June 22,
1535.
Thomas More and John Fisher were beatified together by Pope Leo XIII in 1886, and canonized together by Pius XI in 1935. One a layman and statesman, the other a priest and bishop – they stand together as models and heroes of religious freedom against encroaching government powers.
Sir
Thomas More was a distinguished statesman in the English Parliament.
First and foremost, however, he was a faithful Catholic, a loving
husband, and a devoted father. More was widely known for his “unfailing
moral integrity, sharpness of mind, his open and humorous character, and
his extraordinary learning." He was a close friend and confidant of
Henry VIII, and the King himself eventually promoted Thomas to the
prominent office of Lord Chancellor. However, the two were alienated
when Thomas refused to compromise his conscience and faith when Henry
openly defied Church teachings and divorced his wife to marry Anne
Boleyn, choosing instead to renounce the King’s friendship, his own
public career, wealth and worldly prestige. Thomas was consequently
imprisoned in the Tower of London and eventually condemned and beheaded
on July 6, 1535. He was named patron saint of statesmen and politicians
by Pope John Paul II.A
friend of St. Thomas More’s, St. John Fisher also had a close
connection to Henry VIII, having once been his tutor, and was a friend
of the royal family. As the Bishop of Rochester, he was known as a man
of great leaning and deep and unshakable faith. He was supported by the
King and appointed to the lifetime position of Chancellor of the
University of Cambridge. However, he too fell into disfavor with Henry
when he also opposed the King’s unlawful divorce of Queen Catherine of
Aragon. Bishop Fisher courageously warned Parliament of Henry’s
encroaching powers over the Church in England in direct disregard of the
Papal audit, and publicly preached against the divorce from the pulpit
at the same time as Sir Thomas More was resigning his high office. By
thus calling down the King’s fury on himself, the holy Bishop of
Rochester suffered multiple imprisonments in the Tower, during which
time he was made a Cardinal by the authority of Pope Paul III – an
appointment which Henry rejected. Fisher was condemned to be hung, drawn
and quartered; and, although originally sentenced to be killed on June
24, the feast of St. John the Baptist, the King had a superstitious fear
of executing him on that feast because of the strong resemblance of the
deaths of these two saints, and instead had him beheaded – ironically
just like John the Baptist after all – two days earlier, on June 22,
1535.Thomas More and John Fisher were beatified together by Pope Leo XIII in 1886, and canonized together by Pius XI in 1935. One a layman and statesman, the other a priest and bishop – they stand together as models and heroes of religious freedom against encroaching government powers.
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