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Thomas More Influence On Religion

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It is difficult to single out one person when talking about the great saints who made big differences in the history of the Church. There have been holy men and women in every part of Church history, and, aside from perhaps the Blessed Virgin Mary, who was free from all sin, it is impossible to say that one was greater than all the rest. Saint Thomas More, however. is a saint whom I find very inspiring, and certainly had a large impact on the history of Christianity. He had an excellent education and was a good husband and father. He was very rational and just, and G.K. Chesterton said that Thomas More "may come to be counted the greatest Englishman, or at least the greatest historical character in English history." There are three main reasons why he was and continues to be of great importance to the Church: He fought strongly against the Protestant Reformation, he refused to recognize King Henry VIII’s first marriage as invalid, and he was …show more content…
He didn’t think Catherine would ever have a son, so he wanted to divorce her and marry Anne Boleyn. English clergy wrote a letter to Pope Clement VII requesting an annulment for the king’s marriage. Thomas More refused to sign their letter, because he knew, as did the Pope, that the king’s marriage to Catherine was valid and thus could not be annulled. He became almost alone in staying true to his Catholic belief, however, since Henry VIII removed most Pope-supporting clergy from important positions. More had been a person with a high public reputation, but he realized that he could not meet the king’s expectations as Lord Chancellor with Henry’s divorce and remarriage. In 1532 he asked the king to be relieved of his office, citing his health, and Henry granted his request. When the king went against the Pope and divorced Catherine and married Anne, More did not attend her coronation, although he did congratulate them in

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