Rachel Evans
Catholicism has a long and complex history in Great Britain. From the establishment of the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707, Catholics were discriminated against and treated as suspects by the Crown and government. Despite this, Catholicism has had a significant influence on British culture, with many prominent individuals such as J.R.R. Tolkien, Graham Greene, and Tony Blair identifying as Catholic. In recent years, the Catholic Church in Britain has seen a stabilization in numbers, possibly due to an influx of immigrants from Eastern Europe and Africa. While rural congregations have declined, inner-city churches have experienced growth, particularly in certain areas of Scotland and Northern Ireland, where Catholicism is the dominant religion.
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What You'll Learn
Catholic emancipation in the United Kingdom
Catholic emancipation, or Catholic relief, was a process in the kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland, and later the combined United Kingdom, that involved reducing and removing the restrictions on Roman Catholics introduced by the Act of Uniformity, the Test Acts, and the penal laws. The penal laws started to be dismantled from 1766.
The first Relief Act in 1778 enabled Roman Catholics in Britain to acquire real property, such as land. Similar legislation was enacted in Ireland in 1774, 1778, and 1782. In 1791, another bill was passed that enabled British Catholics to practice their religion without fear of civil penalties. This was applied on a much larger scale by the Irish Parliament with the Relief Act of 1793, which granted Irish Roman Catholics the franchise and admission to most civil offices.
The Roman Catholic Relief Act of 1829 was the most significant measure, removing the most substantial restrictions on Roman Catholicism in the United Kingdom. This act admitted Irish and English Roman Catholics to Parliament and to all but a handful of public offices. However, it did not apply to Newfoundland, as the colony was not part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
The Universities Tests Act of 1871, which opened universities to Roman Catholics, marked the virtual completion of Catholic Emancipation in the United Kingdom.
Catholicism in the United Kingdom Today
According to a 2010 BBC article, out of a total population of about 60 million, about one in 12 people in Great Britain is Catholic. Figures from the Catholic Directory suggest that about one million Catholics in England and Wales regularly attend mass. In 2008, an estimated 184,283 people attended mass regularly in Scotland, while there were about 4.3 million Catholics in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland combined.
While rural congregations have been dwindling, inner-city churches have seen numbers rise, possibly due to an influx of immigrants from Eastern Europe and Africa. According to the Christian Research group, Catholic numbers have stabilized in recent years, contrary to their 2007 claim that congregations would continue to decline.
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Catholic immigration to the UK
The Catholic Church was the dominant form of Western Christianity in Britain throughout the Middle Ages. However, the Church of England became the independent established church in England and Wales in 1534 following the English Reformation. Since then, the Catholic Church in the UK has been shaped by various historical events, including the French Revolution, the Acts of Union, the Great Irish Famine, and more recently, large-scale immigration from Poland and other Eastern European countries.
During the 1840s and 1850s, hundreds of thousands of Irish people migrated to England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland due to the Great Irish Famine. This migration established Catholic communities in cities such as London, Liverpool, Manchester, and Glasgow, boosting the Catholic population in the UK. The Catholic Church responded to this influx by re-establishing the Catholic hierarchy in 1850, creating 12 Catholic dioceses in England and Wales and appointing diocesan bishops.
In more recent times, the UK has experienced large-scale Polish immigration, with up to 900,000 people arriving as of 2017. While only about 10% of these immigrants regularly attend Catholic churches, this has still contributed to the overall Catholic population in the UK.
According to the 2009 British Social Attitudes Survey, 8.6% of respondents identified as Catholic. This is further supported by a 2010 BBC report, which states that out of a total population of about 60 million, about one in 12 people in Great Britain is Catholic, or approximately 5 million people.
In addition to Polish immigration, the Catholic Church in the UK has also been influenced by immigration from other Eastern European countries, such as Lithuania, as well as from Africa. These immigration patterns have contributed to the stabilization of Catholic congregations in inner cities, even as rural congregations have dwindled.
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Catholicism in Northern Ireland
Catholicism is the dominant religion in large parts of Northern Ireland, with about two-fifths (40.8%) of the population identifying as Catholic in the 2011 census. This is in contrast to the foundation of Northern Ireland in 1921, when Britain created an entity with a two-thirds Protestant majority. Since then, the demographic balance has been shifting, with higher birth rates among Catholics and a gradual move of Protestants away from western and border areas of Northern Ireland. This has resulted in a marked Catholic majority in the historic counties of Londonderry, Fermanagh, and Tyrone, as well as in the city of Belfast.
The Catholic Church in Northern Ireland is organised as part of the Catholic Church in Ireland, which is in communion with the Pope. While there is no ecclesiastical jurisdiction corresponding to the United Kingdom as a whole, the Catholic Church has had a presence in Northern Ireland since the establishment of the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. However, until the passing of the Papists Act in 1778, Catholics in England and Scotland faced significant discrimination and were not allowed to own property, inherit land, or join the British Army.
The relationship between the mainly Protestant Unionist and mainly Catholic Nationalist communities in Northern Ireland has been fraught, with "the Troubles" referring to the political and military violence between the two groups in the last third of the 20th century. This violence led to the creation of "peace lines," permanent structures aimed at keeping the warring factions apart. Even today, residential segregation is evident in Northern Ireland, with about half the population living in districts that are predominantly either Catholic or Protestant.
In recent years, there has been a decline in mass attendance among Catholics in Northern Ireland, mirroring a similar trend in the Republic of Ireland. However, many Catholics continue to retain a formal identification with the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church in Northern Ireland is organised into four provinces, although these do not correspond to the modern political divisions of the region.
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Catholicism in Scotland
As of 2021, there are approximately 4.5 million Catholics in Great Britain, which includes England, Scotland, and Wales. This number has remained relatively stable in recent years, representing around 7% of the total population of Great Britain. A significant proportion of these Catholics reside in Scotland, where the Catholic Church has a long and complex history.
Despite this, Catholicism remained resilient in Scotland, particularly in certain regions such as the Highlands and Islands, where it retained a strong following. The Catholic Church in Scotland underwent a period of persecution and struggle during the Reformation and the subsequent enforcement of Protestant theology. This period saw the suppression of Catholic practices, the confiscation of Catholic properties, and the imposition of penalties on those who refused to conform to the established church. Many Catholics chose to emigrate, particularly to Ireland and continental Europe, in search of religious freedom.
In the following centuries, the Catholic Church in Scotland gradually regained some of its influence and presence. This was aided by the passage of laws that eased restrictions on Catholic worship and the gradual increase in religious tolerance. The Catholic Relief Act of 1791, for instance, granted Catholic priests the right to operate in Scotland openly. The Catholic Church in Scotland experienced a significant revival in the 19th century, with the emergence of prominent figures such as Blessed John Newman, who contributed to a renewed interest in Catholic theology and spirituality.
Today, Catholicism in Scotland is a vibrant and diverse part of the country's religious landscape. According to the 2021 Scottish Census, approximately 15.8% of the Scottish population, which equates to just over 840,000 people, identified as Catholic. The Catholic Church in Scotland is organized into two provinces and eight dioceses, with the Archbishop of St. Andrews and Edinburgh serving as the country's highest-ranking Catholic cleric. Modern Scottish Catholicism is known for its social and charitable initiatives, with organizations such as the St. Vincent de Paul Society providing assistance to those in need. The Church also runs numerous schools and educational institutions, contributing to the holistic development of young Scots.
While Scotland remains a predominantly Protestant country, with the Church of Scotland being the national church, Catholicism continues to play a significant role in the cultural, social, and spiritual life of a substantial portion of the Scottish population.
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Catholicism in England and Wales
From the 16th century onwards, English Catholics hoped for a "reconversion of England" to Catholicism. In 1850, the Pope re-established the Catholic hierarchy in England, creating 12 dioceses and appointing bishops. This period also saw an influx of Irish Catholic migrants, which further contributed to the growth of Catholicism. By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, prominent figures such as John Henry Newman and Henry Edward Manning converted to Catholicism and played significant roles in shaping Catholic social justice teachings and the growth of religious congregations.
In modern times, Catholicism in England and Wales continues to be a minority faith, but it has seen growth in recent years. According to the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, there are approximately 6.2 million Catholics in the region, making it the second-largest single church if Christianity is divided into separate denominations. The 2011 census recorded approximately 4.1 million Catholics in England and Wales, comprising 7.4% of the population. More recent estimates suggest that the number of practicing Catholics may be lower, with around 861,000 attending church every Sunday in 2009 and 554,000 gathering for Sunday worship in 2023.
The growth of Catholicism in England and Wales has been attributed to several factors, including immigration from Catholic countries in Eastern Europe, Africa, and Ireland. Rural congregations have declined, while inner-city churches, particularly in areas with a high number of immigrants, have seen an increase in attendance. Additionally, some Anglicans have converted to Catholicism due to disagreements with the official positions taken by the Anglican clergy.
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Frequently asked questions
Out of a total population of about 60 million, about one in 12 people in Great Britain is Catholic, which is about 5 million people.
The Catholic Church in England included about 50,000 people in traditional Catholic families. In 1841, there were 224,000 Irish Catholic immigrants in England, which rose to 419,000 in 1851. In 1869, a new seminary opened. In 1850, the pope restored the Catholic hierarchy, giving England its own Catholic bishops again.
In a few Scottish council areas, Catholics outnumber other religions, including in Glasgow City, North Lanarkshire, Inverclyde, and West Dunbartonshire. In England and Wales, the Census question about religion does not specify denominations beyond "Christian". However, Church estimates suggest the Catholic population in the Archdiocese of Liverpool is approximately 500,000, or about 27% of local residents.
It appears that the number of Catholics in Great Britain has stabilized in recent years, contrary to predictions of a continued decline. This stabilization may be due to an influx of immigrants from Eastern Europe and Africa.
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