December 29th day of St. Thomas Becket
December 29th day of St. Thomas Becket. This day honors Saint Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury and Christian martyr, who was murdered in 1170 inside his own cathedral in Canterbury, England, due to a conflict with King Henry II. The date of his death, December 29, was established as his liturgical feast. Thomas Becket was born in 1119 and, after being named Archbishop of Canterbury in 1162, he began to fervently defend the Church's autonomy in relation to royal power. His conflict with the king occurred because Thomas Becket resisted Henry II's interference in ecclesiastical matters, especially with regard to the rights and freedoms of the Church. This conflict led him into exile and, even after returning to England, the conflict persisted. On December 29, 1170, he was murdered by knights close to the king. He was canonized in 1173 by Pope Alexander III.
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