Article snippet: An aide to Speaker Paul Ryan Thursday refused to say exactly why he forced the House chaplain to resign last week but Democrats contend his dismissal is due to a prayer Father Patrick Conroy delivered last year as lawmakers prepared to begin consideration of tax reform – irking Republicans. While a senior GOP leadership aide maintains that “there was not a specific prayer” that led to Ryan’s decision to request Conroy’s resignation, Democrats point to his prayer November 6, when he warned members to “be mindful” of economic disparities among social classes, and cautioned legislators not to pick “winners and losers under new tax laws.” “As legislation on taxes continues to be debated this week and next, 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,” Conroy prayed in the House chamber. “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.” A Democratic aide also further asserted that “some of the more conservative evangelical Republicans didn’t like that the Father had invited a Muslim person to give the opening prayer.” A Ryan aide refused to comment on the specific reasons Ryan demanded Conroy’s resignation. The story was first reported by The Hill. Conroy’s resignation letter, read on the House floor last week,... Link to the full article to read more