Becket’s freedom fight echoes in pandemic

The Catholic Register, 07 January 2021

As 2020 closed, it was regrettable that the public observations of the 850th anniversary of the martyrdom (Dec. 29, 1170) of St. Thomas Becket did not take place due to pandemic restrictions.

St. Thomas Becket was Archbishop of Canterbury when England was united in the Catholic faith. He was killed in his cathedral by court officials acting at the behest of King Henry II, who wished to exercise more control over the Church than Becket judged was his right. A discussion of the life and decisions of Thomas Becket would have been particularly useful in the present moment.

Becket, much like St. Oscar Romero, another martyr killed at the altar, did not enjoy universal acclaim during this life and ministry. A fine article by Dan Hitchens in the January issue of First Things put it this way:

“The common criticism is that Becket was too harsh, too rigid, too ready to see apocalyptic possibilities around every corner. One of the battles he fought, late in life, was for his right to anoint the king’s heir: The pope had decreed that Becket would perform the ceremony, as the traditional duty of the Archbishop of Canterbury. But the king asked the Archbishop of York to do it, which Becket took so badly that he convinced the pope to excommunicate his fellow-bishop. At the time, and for centuries since, Becket has been seen by many as an extremist, a man who could start a fight in an empty room.”

That’s not all there is to Becket, of course, and his heroic defence of the liberty of the Church stands as a signal moment in the history of religious liberty and human rights.

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