Fr. Robert Barron comments on St. Thomas More and the Bishop of Rome

Another part of a video series from Wordonfire.org. Father Barron will be commenting on subjects from modern day culture. For more visit http://www.wordonfire.org/

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• Fr. Robert Barron
• Word On Fire
• Catholicism
• Christianity
• church
• bible
• God
• Jesus
• Christ
• A Man For All Seasons
• Paul Scofield
• Church of England
• Pope Benedict

[tjb70]

Perhaps Mr. Barron should get his history from texts (including Vatican archives), not films, which prove that Thomas More is responsible for burning 5 "heretics" at the stake. Mr. Barron may also like to Google "cognitive dissonance."

[wordonfirevideo]

@tjb70 So glad you get a kick out of calling me "Mr." Did I deny that Thomas More was an ambiguous figure?

[coldforgedcowboy]

Here is a general note for everyone. "Citizenskeptic" is the local Word on Fire Troll. For those of you don't know what a Troll is; a troll is someone who posts inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community, such as an online discussion forum, chat room, or blog, with the primary intent of provoking other users into a desired emotional response. So for the sake of the forum please don't feed the troll. Thanks!

[DiarmuidS007]

I too have seen more than once the great movie that is "A Man For All Seasons", my late father introduced me to the movie many years ago, a truly powerful story of a true martyr, I did not know that Pope Benedict had visited the hall where Thomas was condemned, so glad to learn of this,.

[yungeodubbleg]

whooh chaminade yeah!!

[gfzgfx]

At that time heresy was not only a religious crime, but a secular rime that was punished by the government. The church did not execute heretics. They handed them over to the national governments, with the information they had gathered, to be charged and tried. Thomas More was performing his duty as an executor of the law. Furthermore, heresy was considered to be a crime against the king, as he was considered to be divinely ordained. It had the same punishment as treason.

[zsezse215]

If Thomas More had turned his back on the Pope instead of Henry VIII could he have met the same fate? philipnute com

[Pi10sco]

Having said that, I'm glad that we live in a time where it's safer to be a heretic (at least corporeally safer), and look forward to the time when all capital punishment and taking of human life is regarded as an ancient barbarity, akin to slavery and slaughtering prisoners in the arena...

[Pi10sco]

I think a lot of people who condemn More for proceeding with the burning of heretics are: (1) anachronistically blaming our 16th C. ancestors for ignoring our 21st C. outlooks on capital punishment and freedom of conscience. Every Christian sect would, when it gained power, forcefully suppress other Christians. And (2) forgetting an officer of the law must execute the law AS IT IS WRITTEN, regardless of scruples. If we allowed every judge or cop to demur, forget about the rule of law.

[waspswatter]

@tjb70 Let's explore some thoughts. It's 2011 and "our" government executes criminals. Heresy WAS a crime, (and in the spiritual order, worse than murder). You don't have to agree with that, but clearly St. More was a man of character who did what he thought was right, regardless of personal outcome.

[mintrack5]

Perhaps there was good reason to keep the bible in Latin when we can now see what dodgy English translations have done to faith today. Perhaps the right to access the word of God is different from the right to tamper with it. I think any man of principle is a role model to politicians, I think the beauty of History is in it's ambiguity. I think arguing about faith is quite obviously illogical too :p