Questions Arise in Firing of House Chaplain

Rumored to have been fired by House Speaker Paul Ryan because he questioned the spirit of the Republican tax cut in a prayer on the floor of the House in November, right before it came to a vote, the House chaplain, Rev. Patrick Conroy, a Jesuit priest, has had his dismissal questioned even by Republicans, including Rep. Peter King of New York. (A House chaplain has never been removed by Congress in the midst of their term.)

Meanwhile, novelist Jay Parini, whose most recent book is The Way of Jesus: Living a Spiritual and Ethical Life, had his own theory.

"There is talk of getting a protestant chaplain to take over from Conroy, who doesn't—being a Catholic—know much about 'family issues'. This seems like a smokescreen to me. Perhaps Paul Ryan wants a prosperity-style preacher who will not be 'political' and challenge the celebration of wealth (and dismissal of those in need)? There are plenty of preachers out there who will cheer him, and Trump, on. This worries me greatly. It should worry you, too." 

[CNN: Paul Ryan's Firing of Father Conroy Should Worry Us All]