On Nov. 6, following the first draft of the GOP’s tax bill, former House Chaplain Patrick Conroy issued a prayer, urging lawmakers to consider those less fortunate in the drafting of their bill.

"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 said. "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."

These remarks, though seemingly uncontroversial, were enough to get Conroy fired, according to four different sources, two from each party. According to "The Hill," these sources say Conroy was forced out by House Speaker Paul Ryan and told he must retire or he would be dismissed. “As you have requested, I hereby offer my resignation as the 60th Chaplain of the United States House of Representatives,” Conroy wrote in an April 15 letter to Ryan.

Reverends Irene Monroe and Emmett G. Price III offered their take on Boston Public Radio Monday — an abridged excerpt is below.

Emmett Price: I would vote for Rev. Patrick Conroy for president. I mean, wow. First time in history this has ever happened, the "New York Times" report said Paul Ryan gave a statement saying, ‘Padre, you’ve just gotta stay out of politics’ — well, anytime a minister shows up, it’s political. The very nature of the gospel that we preach is political, and increasingly political in the times disparity that we have now. It is true that the gospel came for the poor and for the disinherited and for the people who are ostracized and left behind.

Irene Monroe: It’s always a social gospel because it’s always contextual, you always have to give a prayer that reflects what’s going on at that time in relationship to some biblical scripture. It’s a prayer of fairness and justice, and it’s trying to reverse an unfair situation. And it had a sentiment of liberation theology in that prayer. All you can say at that moment is, 'Amen.' And the interesting thing is, it really is an impartial prayer. It’s asking you to bring out your best angels in this moment, that’s all it’s asking.

Jim Braude: And it’s a fireable offense. … This is the chaplain of the House of Representatives giving a speech that basically says, ‘Treat everybody fairly’ — that’s this guy’s message.

IM: You know, Paul Ryan is a high Catholic, and he knows he will be damned to hell for having done that, he knows that.

EP: I mean here’s the former chaplain of Georgetown University twice, former chaplain of Seattle University, this guy has a BA, an MA, a JD, MDiv, an STM —

IM: But that doesn’t matter, it’s the character of this man —

EP: But he knows what he’s doing! He knows how to be a chaplain!

IM: And he knows the mess that he’s in.

Reverend Irene Monroe is a syndicated religion columnist and the Boston voice for Detour’s African American Heritage Trail. Reverend Emmett G. Price III is a professor and founding executive director of the Institute for the Study of the Black Christian Experience at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.