[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 114 (Thursday, July 14, 2016)]
[House]
[Page H4979]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            ST. THOMAS MORE

  (Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia. Mr. Speaker, 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.''

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