Speaker of the House Paul Ryan has reversed his position on firing a liberal Catholic Chaplain after the priest, Father Patrick Conroy on Thursday afternoon rescinded his forced resignation.
“I have accepted Father Conroy’s letter and decided that he will remain in his position as Chaplain of the House,” Ryan said in a statement Thursday evening.
“My original decision was made in what I believed to be the best interest of this institution. To be clear, that decision was based on my duty to ensure that the House has the kind of pastoral services that it deserves. It is my job as speaker to do what is best for this body, and I know that this body is not well served by a protracted fight over such an important post. I intend to sit down with Father Conroy early next week so that we can move forward for the good of the whole House.”
Father Conroy, the House Chaplain, is a liberal Jesuit Catholic priest who supports same-sex marriage. He was appointed by Speaker John Boehner in 2011.
Ryan never specified why he fired the Father. It is believed he did so after being angered that Conroy asked Members of Congress, in his morning prayer the day the House began debate on Trump’s tax cuts for the rich bill, to remember the poor.
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