Sir Thomas More is venerated in the Catholic Church as a saint because he exalted the authority of the Pope above all political power. Though he held one of the highest offices in England as Lord Chancellor, Thomas More’s ultimate allegiance was not to the Crown but to the Roman Catholic Church and the authority of the Pope. When King Henry VIII severed ties with Rome and established the Church of England, More refused to accept this breach and claimed that the Pope remained the rightful spiritual leader of all of Christendom, and that no earthly ruler could override the temporal and divine authority of the Papacy. His steadfast loyalty to Rome over the British monarch ultimately cost him his position, his freedom, and his life.
On June 21, 2025, Pope Leo XIV met with political leaders and legislators from 68 different countries at the Vatican Apostolic Palace. In his address to the participants who came to see him, the Pope told the political leaders to follow Saint Thomas More, who put faith above politics. Pope Leo was essentially advocating for the supremacy of church authority over civil government by urging leaders to emulate a Catholic who defied the British Crown out of loyalty to the Pope.
The Vatican News published the following:
• “During the Jubilee of Governments, Pope Leo XIV meets with legislators from various nations and recalls the importance of natural law, entrusting them to St. Thomas More, whose “readiness to sacrifice his life rather than betray the truth makes him a martyr for freedom and for the primacy of conscience.” [1]
• “Pope Leo XIV made this observation about the 16th-century English saint and former Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain when addressing members of the International Inter-Parliamentary Union in the context of the Jubilee for Governments taking place this weekend in the Vatican.” [1]
• “Greeting the members of the delegations coming from 68 different countries, Pope Leo said politics has rightly been defined as the highest form of charity.” [1]
• “The Pope advised legislators around the world to turn to St. Thomas More.” [1]
• “Sir Thomas More,” Pope Leo XIV said, “was a man faithful to his civic responsibilities, a perfect servant of the state precisely because of his faith, which led him to view politics not as a profession but as a mission for the spread of truth and goodness.” [1]
• “The courage he showed by his readiness to sacrifice his life rather than betray the truth makes him, also for us today,” Pope Leo underscored, “a martyr for freedom and for the primacy of conscience.” [1]
Thomas More resisted the king and the British Crown because he believed that true authority resided in the Pope, not the monarch. King Henry VIII’s breakaway from the Roman Catholic Church, which rejected the Pope’s authority, left More unable to support the move in good conscience. His loyalty to the papacy and to Rome outweighed his allegiance to the state. Thomas More viewed the separation from Rome as heresy and as a direct challenge to the Pope’s temporal and divine authority. By remaining faithful to the Catholic Church, Thomas More refused to recognize the authority of the British king and chose imprisonment and ultimately martyrdom.
Thomas More was also a fierce opponent of the Protestant Reformation and vehemently rejected William Tyndale’s English translation of the Bible, which he viewed as corrupt and subversive. More condemned Tyndale’s Protestant beliefs, especially his denial of papal authority. More worked tirelessly to suppress so-called heretical teachings, believing they threatened both the unity of the Church and the moral fabric of society.
It is deeply troubling for the Pope to urge politicians to be just like Thomas More, because it promotes the idea that civil leaders should prioritize the authority of the Church over the laws and duties of the state. When political figures are encouraged to place ecclesiastical authority above constitutional duty, it opens the door to the very church-state union that history has repeatedly shown to result in oppression, intolerance, and persecution. From a historical and prophetic perspective, such calls reflect a dangerous path toward the enforcement of religious teachings through civil power, undermining freedom of conscience and paving the way for the mark of the beast.
“When the early church became corrupted by departing from the simplicity of the gospel, and accepting heathen rites and customs, she lost the Spirit and power of God; and in order to control the consciences of the people she sought the support of the secular power. The result was the papacy, a church that controlled the power of the State, and employed it to further her own ends, especially for the punishment of “heresy.” In order for the United States to form an image of the beast, the religious power must so control the civil government that the authority of the State will also be employed by the church to accomplish her own ends. Whenever the church has obtained secular power, she has employed it to punish dissent from her doctrines. Protestant churches that have followed in the steps of Rome by forming alliance with worldly powers, have manifested a similar desire to restrict liberty of conscience” (Great Controversy, p. 443).
Sources
0
0
0
Leave a Reply