Taking the Catholic Pulse
Sign In
  • John Allen Jr.
    • John Allen Jr.
    • Charles Collins
    • Elise Ann Allen
    • Nirmala Carvalho
    • Eduardo Campos Lima
    • Christopher R. Altieri
    • Ngala Killian Chimtom
    • Stephan Uttom Rozario
    • Vatican
    • U.S.
    • UK and Ireland
    • Middle East
    • Americas
    • Africa
    • Asia
    • Europe
    • Oceania
    • Interviews
    • 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
Latest
Sarah Mullally confirmed as archbishop of Canterbury, first woman to lead the Church of England

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 receives officials of the Tribunal of Roman Rota for the inauguration of their judicial year in the Vatican on Jan. 26, 2026. (Credit: Vatican Media.)

Pope Leo says the Catholic Church cannot ‘relativize’ its teaching on marriage

  • Jan 27
  • Charles Collins
Father John Wauck blesses the coffin of John L. Allen Jr. on Jan. 26, 2026, in Sant’Eugenio basilica in Rome. (Credit: YouTube.)

Funeral held in Rome for John L. Allen Jr., founding editor-in-chief of Crux

  • Jan 27
  • Christopher R. Altieri
The Confirmation of Election ceremony legally confirming Dame Sarah Mullally as the new Archbishop of Canterbury, at St Paul's Cathedral, central London, Wednesday Jan. 28, 2026. (Credit: Gareth Fuller/Pool via AP.)

Sarah Mullally confirmed as archbishop of Canterbury, first woman to lead the Church of England

  • Jan 28
  • Danica Kirka, 
    Associated Press
Police officers and firefighters inspect the damage after a commuter train derailed as a retaining wall collapsed onto the tracks in Gelida, near Barcelona, Spain, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026. (Credit: Joan Mateu Parra/AP.)

Spain authorities’ ‘confusion’ prevented priests from administering last rites to train crash victims

  • Jan 28
  • Fionn Shiner
Comey, Trump and this ‘meddlesome priest’ | Crux
The Confirmation of Election ceremony legally confirming Dame Sarah Mullally as the new Archbishop of Canterbury, at St Paul's Cathedral, central London, Wednesday Jan. 28, 2026. (Credit: Gareth Fuller/Pool via AP.)

Sarah Mullally confirmed as archbishop of Canterbury, first woman to lead the Church of England

  • Jan 28
  • Danica Kirka, 
    Associated Press
Police officers and firefighters inspect the damage after a commuter train derailed as a retaining wall collapsed onto the tracks in Gelida, near Barcelona, Spain, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026. (Credit: Joan Mateu Parra/AP.)

Spain authorities’ ‘confusion’ prevented priests from administering last rites to train crash victims

  • Jan 28
  • Fionn Shiner
Irene Nabudeba, pregnant, mother of 5, waits for a consultation that used to be free at the Afia Himbi Hospital in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, Nov. 11, 2025. (Credit: Moses Sawasawa/AP.)

In divided central Africa, a cardinal presents ‘Family of God’ as path to peace

  • Jan 28
  • Ngala Killian Chimtom
Yankuba Touray, from Gambia, eats his breakfast in an abandoned school in Badalona, near Barcelona, Spain, on Dec. 16, 2025. (Credit: Emilio Morenatti/AP.)

In surprise move, Spain will grant legal status to thousands of immigrants lacking permission

  • Jan 28
  • Renata Brito, 
    Associated Press
A protester holds a sign reading "Love thy neighbor - Jesus" during a rally against federal immigration enforcement on Friday, Jan. 23, 2026, in Minneapolis. (Credit: Angelina Katsanis/AP.)

Protests inside churches are unusual despite long history of civil disobedience in the US

  • Jan 25
  • Peter Smith, 
    Tiffany Stanley, Associated Press
Vice President JD Vance speaks at a rally ahead of the March for Life in Washington, Friday, Jan. 23, 2026. (Credit: Stephanie Scarbrough/AP.)

Vance touts the Trump administration’s record against abortion at a Washington rally

  • Jan 24
  • Meg Kinnard
The National Institutes of Health’s James Shannon building is seen on the agency’s campus in Bethesda, Md., Oct. 24, 2014. (Credit: Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP.)

Trump administration halts use of human fetal tissue in NIH-funded research

  • Jan 24
  • Associated Press
Nekima Levy Armstrong holds up her fist after speaking at an anti-ICE rally for Martin Luther King Jr., Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, in St. Paul, Minn. (Credit: Angelina Katsanis/AP.)

Anti-ICE protest at Minnesota church leads to arrests but no charges for journalist Don Lemon

  • Jan 23
  • Alanna Durkin Richer, 
    Giovanna Dell'Orto, Associated Press