Roman Catholics in United Kingdom

History

Roman Catholicism in England has shown a tendency to advance, especially among the upper and upper-middle classes. The published lists of “converts” are, however, no safe index to actual progress; for no equivalent statistics are available for “leakage” in the opposite direction. The membership of the Roman Catholic Church in England is estimated at about 2,200,000. But though the 422 growth of the church relatively to the population has not been particularly startling, there can be no doubt that, since the restoration of the Roman Catholic hierarchy in 1851, its general political and religious influence has enormously increased.

A notable feature in this has been the great development of monastic institutions, due in large measure to the settlement in England of the congregations expelled from France. The Roman Catholic Church in England is organized in 15 dioceses, which are united in a single province under the primacy of the archbishop of Westminster. In December 1907 there were 1736 Roman Catholic churches and stations, and the number of the clergy was returned at 3524 (see Roman Catholic Church).(1)

Resources

Notes and References

1. Encyclopedia Britannica (11th Edition)

See Also

Further Reading