Taking the Catholic Pulse
Sign In
    • Elise Ann Allen
    • Christopher R. Altieri
    • Deirdre Brennan
    • Eduardo Campos Lima
    • Nirmala Carvalho
    • Ngala Killian Chimtom
    • Charles Collins
    • Paterno R. Esmaquel II
    • Fionn Shiner
    • Stephan Uttom Rozario
    • Vatican
    • U.S.
    • UK and Ireland
    • Middle East
    • Americas
    • Africa
    • Asia
    • Europe
    • Oceania
    • Interviews
    • News Analysis
    • Videos
    • Podcast
    • Last Week in the Church
  • Support Us
  • About Us
    • Contact Details
    • Advertising
    • Email Updates

  

    

       

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Crux
© 2026 Crux Now Media, LLC
Privacy & Cookie Policy
CruxTaking the Catholic Pulse
  • About Crux
  • Contact Us
  • Advertising
  • Videos
  • Support Us
Podcast:
  • Apple Podcasts
  • Spotify
  • Podcast Index
  • Amazon Music
  • Google Podcasts
  • TuneIn

Quick Links

  • Currents News
  • Magisterium
  • Vulgate
  • VMR Communications
  • DeSales Media Group in the Diocese of Brooklyn
Comey, Trump and this ‘meddlesome priest’ | Crux
Latest
Icelandic police inspect priest’s comments on homosexuality

Comey, Trump and this ‘meddlesome priest’

By Jessica Estepa
Jun 11, 2017
|Religion News Service
Share
Comey, Trump and this ‘meddlesome priest’

Former FBI Director James Comey testifies before a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Russia’s alleged interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on June 8, 2017. (Credit: Photo courtesy of Reuters/Jonathan Ernst.)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – James Comey likened President Trump’s suggestion to drop the Michael Flynn investigation to an English monarch’s indirect order to kill the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, asked whether Comey interpreted certain phrases  from the president of the United States, such as “I hope” or “I suggest,” as directives.
“Yes. It kind of rings in my ears as, ‘Will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest?’” Comey replied.

“Who will rid me of this meddlesome priest” #Comey again questioned about his interpretation of ‘hope’ as a directive. pic.twitter.com/VnrH4u9Wly

— ABC News (@abcnews) June 8, 2017

Comey was quoting a well-known saying from Henry II. Back in 1170, the king of England was years into a quarrel with Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, over the rights of the church. Henry II is often quoted as saying, “Will no one rid of me of this turbulent priest?” His men interpreted this as the king wanting Becket dead. Soon after, Becket was assassinated.
Becket was later venerated as a saint:

Thomas Becket went on to become a saint, FYI.

— Carlos Lozada (@CarlosLozadaWP) June 8, 2017

(Estepa writes for USA Today)

Share

Latest Stories

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Related Stories

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Most Popular

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Keep Crux Independent

Crux. Anytime. Anywhere.

Today's top stories delivered straight into your inbox.

Pope Leo XIV meets with author Gareth Gore in the Vatican on March 16, 2026. (Credit: Vatican Media.)

Pope highlights plight of vulnerable adults in abuse and meets with top Opus Dei critic

  • Mar 17
  • Nicole Winfield
Cardinal Angelo Becciu presides over an eucharistic liturgy at the St. John Lateran Basilica in Rome, Feb. 9, 2017. (Credit: Gregorio Borgia/AP.)

Vatican appeals court declares mistrial in the ‘trial of the century’ against a cardinal

  • Mar 18
  • Nicole Winfield
President Rodrigo Duterte awards Archbishop Gabriele Giordano Caccia the Order of Sikatuna with the Rank of Datu, the highest recognition given by the Philippine government to foreign ambassadors, Dec. 11, 2019. (Credit: Office of the President.)

New US nuncio Gabriele Caccia brings lessons from Duterte’s Philippines

  • Mar 18
  • Paterno R. Esmaquel II

Prominent Catholic thinkers pen brief for embattled AI giant Anthropic

  • Mar 18
  • Christopher R. Altieri
Iceland’s parliament representatives hold a session at the Althingi in Reykjavik, Jan. 8, 2010. (Credit: Brynjar Gauti/AP.)

Icelandic police inspect priest’s comments on homosexuality

  • Mar 19
  • Fionn Shiner
Joe Moscinski places the final light in the outdoor menorah at Temple Shalom, Dec. 20, 2019 in Auburn, Maine. (Credit: Andree/Sun Journal via AP.)

As religious tensions rise, houses of worship in Maine look to beef up security

  • Mar 19
  • Sean Scott/ The Maine Monitor
Catholic priests stand together celebrating Mass. (Credit: Amazing Parish.)
Premium

Houston summit aims to help priests build parishes for 21st century

  • Mar 19
  • Charles Collins
Cesar Chavez, a farm worker, labor organizer and leader of the California grape strike, is seen in a California works office in 1965. (Credit: George Brich/AP.)

César Chávez, noted for his Catholicism, accused of sexually abusing labor rights leader Dolores Huerta

  • Mar 19
  • Fernanda Figueroa
Joe Moscinski places the final light in the outdoor menorah at Temple Shalom, Dec. 20, 2019 in Auburn, Maine. (Credit: Andree/Sun Journal via AP.)

As religious tensions rise, houses of worship in Maine look to beef up security

  • Mar 19
  • Sean Scott/ The Maine Monitor
Catholic priests stand together celebrating Mass. (Credit: Amazing Parish.)
Premium

Houston summit aims to help priests build parishes for 21st century

  • Mar 19
  • Charles Collins
Cesar Chavez, a farm worker, labor organizer and leader of the California grape strike, is seen in a California works office in 1965. (Credit: George Brich/AP.)

César Chávez, noted for his Catholicism, accused of sexually abusing labor rights leader Dolores Huerta

  • Mar 19
  • Fernanda Figueroa
A copy of the Ten Commandments is posted along with other historical documents in a hallway of the Georgia Capitol on June 20, 2024, in Atlanta. (Credit: John Bazemore/AP.)

Judge strikes down Arkansas law mandating schools display the Ten Commandments

  • Mar 18
  • Sara Cline