Trump Declares Dec. 29 a National Day of Commemoration for St. Thomas Becket

By David Martin

President Trump is calling upon Americans to pay tribute to a Catholic saint and martyr. On Monday, the president declared December 29 a national day of commemoration for St. Thomas Becket who was martyred in 1170 because he refused to allow the king of England to interfere with the internal affairs of the Catholic Church. The following is taken from Trump’s proclamation. 

“NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim December 29, 2020, as the 850th anniversary of the martyrdom of Saint Thomas Becket. I invite the people of the United States to observe the day in schools and churches and customary places of meeting with appropriate ceremonies in commemoration of the life and legacy of Thomas Becket.”

The following is also from the president’s proclamation.

“When the crown [king of England] attempted to encroach upon the affairs of the House of God through the Constitutions of Clarendon, Thomas refused to sign the offending document. When the furious King Henry II threatened to hold him in contempt of royal authority and questioned why this ‘poor and humble’ priest would dare defy him, Archbishop Becket responded, ‘God is the supreme ruler, above Kings’ and ‘we ought to obey God rather than men.'”

King Henry eventually had St. Becket killed because he defended religious liberty against the order of the state. After being given an ultimatum to obey the King, Becket confessed, “For the name of Jesus and the protection of the Church, I am ready to embrace death.” Dressed in holy robes, Thomas was cut down where he stood inside the walls of his own cathedral. 

State Must Not Restrict Churches

President Trump is sending a clear message to Christian Americans, especially Roman Catholics, that they must never allow the state to interfere with the internal affairs of the House of God. “If we are to continue to be the land of the free, no government official, no governor, no bureaucrat, no judge, and no legislator must be allowed to decree what is [un]orthodox in matters of religion or to require religious believers to violate their consciences,” Trump says.

The president says, “As Americans, we were first united by our belief that ‘rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God,’” suggesting that we too must exhibit ‘holy rebellion’ against state tyrants like governors Cuomo and Newsom. He is saying that faithful Catholics must resist state orders to  close churches, wear masks, impose distancing, or to respect causes like LGBT and abortion because “God is the supreme ruler above kings” and forcing obedience to state rulers causes “believers to violate their consciences.” 

The state indeed has no jurisdiction in the House of God, so the president has raised up St. Thomas Becket as an example for all Americans to look to during this historic time of anti-religious persecution when the Democratic deep-state has sought to infringe upon the Church. Trump honors the fact that Becket confessed Christ before the state and is suggesting that we do likewise, even unto martyrdom if need be. 

“It is because of great men like Thomas Becket that the first American President George Washington could proclaim more than 600 years later that, in the United States, ‘All possess alike liberty of conscience and immunities of citizenship.’”

St. Paul tells us, “All that will live godly in Christ Jesus, shall suffer persecution.” (2 Tim. 3:12) While Trump is not a Catholic [as yet], he nonetheless is walking the path of “white martyrdom” since there isn’t a day that goes by without his being unjustly blasted by fake-media Democrats and even his own “Republican” subjects. Even some of his “conservative” judges have betrayed him through fear or bribery, but he nonetheless is resolved to remain loyal to the Biblical precepts of the Constitution despite the opinion of mere man. 

It could even happen that without enough prayer from the people, Trump too might be cut to pieces inside his own palace (White House) as was St. Thomas Becket. For months we’ve seen  violent hostility encroaching upon the White House with Antifa terrorists shouting, “Let him die” and “he deserves death.” We even hear state leaders saying these things about Trump.

A True Leader

Suffice to say, Trump shows himself to be a true leader by placing God first, which is in keeping with the wise words of George Washington: “Mankind, when left to themselves, are unfit for their own government.” As a responsible leader, Trump acknowledges that “our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people” (John Adams) and is acting accordingly.

With the daily barrage of anti-American attacks ever intensifying, we pray that President Trump will remain ever resolved to stand against the internationalist deep-state coalition that now seeks to take our country from us.

Proclamation on 850th Anniversary of the Martyrdom of Saint Thomas Becket | The White House