Ryan defends chaplain firing
Speaker says decision based on pastoral services
U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan says it was concerns about pastoral services — not politics — that led him to oust House chaplain the Rev. Patrick Conroy.
Ryan has faced criticism over his move to force Conroy to resign, with some lawmakers accusing him of playing politics and calling on the Janesville Republican to explain his actions.
But during a Monday interview at The Weekly Standard’s Midwest Conservative Summit in Milwaukee, Ryan insisted he had been getting complaints from lawmakers about Conroy’s pastoral services for some time.
“You sometimes have to make decisions on behalf of the institution that may not be politically popular,” Ryan said. “Father Conroy is a good man, and I’m grateful for his many years of service to the House.”
Ryan added, “This was not about politics or prayers, it was about pastoral services. And a number of our members felt like the pastoral services were not being adequately served, or offered.”
He was not specific about what pastoral services weren’t being offered.
The Office of the Chaplain declined an interview request.
That office’s website says the chaplain “offers a ministry of presence to all members of the House community.”
“He serves members and their families as well as congressional staff with spiritual care and counsel, prayer services, discussion events, and other activities,” the website reads.
Asked if the move was something he’d been considering for some time, Ryan said, “It’s based upon feedback I’ve been getting for quite a while from members.”
Ryan said there would be a bipartisan process to pick the next chaplain.
Conroy, a Jesuit priest, had led politicians in prayer last year following a shooting at a congressional baseball practice, an incident that gravely wounded Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.). The year before, he consoled mourners during a vigil after a mass shooting at Pulse nightclub in Florida.
But more recently, Conroy reportedly upset Ryan — a conservative Catholic — with his prayer on the House floor in November when lawmakers were debating the Republican tax overhaul.
“May all members be mindful that the institutions and structures of our great nation guarantee the opportunities that have allowed some to achieve great success, while others continue to struggle,” he prayed. “May their efforts these days guarantee that there are not winners and losers under new tax laws, but benefits balanced and shared by all Americans.”
Conroy told The New York Times that the following week, a staffer from Ryan’s office told him they were upset with the prayer and warned him he was getting too political.
The priest said Ryan later told him, “Padre, you just got to stay out of politics,” according to the report.