- Speaker Paul Ryan ousted the House chaplain in April.
- Lawmakers are at odds about why Rev. Patrick Conroy, a Jesuit priest, was forced to resign.
- A top Democrat triggered a vote on Friday to create a select committee investigating the matter, but Republicans rejected the resolution.
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Paul Ryan and Congress are embroiled in a bizarre controversy over the dismissal of House chaplain
Speaker Paul Ryan is coming under fire from lawmakers after abruptly dismissing the House's chaplain, a Jesuit priest who had served in the role since 2011.
WASHINGTON — House Speaker Paul Ryan is coming under fire from lawmakers after abruptly dismissing the House's chaplain, a Jesuit priest who had served in the role since 2011. The controversy has caused a stir among lawmakers who believe the firing was unjust and out of line.
Rev. Patrick Conroy, who is just the second Catholic priest to serve as the House chaplain, announced his resignation earlier this month at Ryan's request.
What is unclear is why Ryan, who is also Catholic, ousted Conroy. Some members of Congress believe that Ryan made the call because Conroy invoked the a desire for fairness in the new Republican tax law during a prayer on the House floor. But Ryan assured members that was not the reason for Conroy's firing.
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"During Father Conroy’s entire service, I’ve never received a complaint from our Members about him pastoring to the needs of the House," House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said in a statement.
Pelosi added that Conroy's "
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