Lord Macaulay,a 19th century Protestant Hisorian - Essay on the Roman Catholic Church

There is not and there never was on this earth a work of human policy so well deserving of examination as the Roman Catholic Church. The history of that Church joins together the two great ages of human civilisation. No other institution is left standing which carries the mind back to the times when the smoke of sacrifice rose from the Pantheon, and when camelopards and tigers bounded in the Flavian amphi-theatre. The proudest Royal houses are but of yesterday when compared to the line of the Supreme Pontiffs. The line we trace back in an unbroken series from the Pope who crowned Napoleon in the nineteenth century to the Pope who crowned Pepin in the eigth; and far beyond the time of Pepin the august dynasty extends, till it is lost in the twilight of fable. The republic of Venice came next in antiquity. But the Republic of Venice was modern compared with the Papacy; and the Republic of Venice is gone, and the Papacy remains. The Papacy remains, not in decay, not a mere antique, but full of life and youthful vigour. The number of her children is greater than in any former age. Her acquisitions in the New World have more than compensated her for what she has lost in the Old. Her spiritual ascendancy extends over the vast countries which lie between the plains of the Missouri, and Cape Horn, countries which a century hence may not improbably contain a population as large as that which now inhabits Europe. Nor do we see any sign which indicates that the term of her long dominion is approaching. She saw the commencement of all the governments and of all the ecclesiastical establishments that now exist in the world; and we feel no assurance that she is not destined to see the end of them all. She was great and respected before the Saxon had set foot on Britain, before the Frank had passed the Rhine, when Grecian eloquence still flourished in Antioch, when idols were still worshipped in the temple of Mecca. And she may still exist in undiminished vigour when some traveller from New Zealand shall, in the midst of a vast solitude, take his stand on a broke arch of London Bridge to sketch the ruins of St Paul`s.

How the Catholic Faith was taken from England.

From my reading of the situation over the years there was a great deal of corruption going on in the Church in Europe. One example was the Bishop of Mainz who had two mistresses to support. He sent a monk called Tetzel to Germany to `sell` indulgences. He said it was to help rebuild a Church in Rome but he wanted at least half. To raise the cash the monk was quite liberal in granting these indulgences and promised `forgiveness` of sins still to be committed. This roused the anger of Martin Luther who totally disillusioned posted his objections to the Catholic Faith on the door of a Church. Then the avarice of the Lords and Dukes took over. Realising that sirring a rebellion against the Church would enable them to steal land and booty from the Church they got solidly behind Luther. In England there is no evidence whatsoever of this corruption in the Church. In fact Henry VIII wrote a great work defending the Church and was given in thanks the title of `Defender of the Faith` But Henry was no saint. He was a rapist who demanded his pleasure because he was King. He had taken the throne after the death of his brother Arthur and wanted to marry his brother`s wife. Since the marriage had not been comsummated Rome gave permission and Henry lived with Queen Catherine for 18 years before he decided he had a problem. The Queen was now to old to produce a son as his heir so he wanted to marry someone else, Ann Boleyn, who was younger. He well knew that if he simply sent Catherine to the be beheaded he would have a war with Spain on his hands so he found a different approach. He thought back to the annullment of his brothers marriage and decided the Pope had been wrong. He could not marry his brothers wife after all. So he sked Rome to put the mater right. There are all sorts of views on what happened next. Some say without evidence that the Pope would have granted this divorce but he was in the power of Spain. There is no doubt that Spain would have not looked favourably on the Pope granting the divorce but this should not distract us from the serious point that the marriage to Catherine was legal and the action of the Pope in granting a divorce when an annullment had already been made would have made the whole thing a mockery. Spain or not, the Pope acted as a Catholic Pope should act. The quest failed and Henry the adulterer decided he should be head of the Church. He then started a life of murder and brutality. Of course there was the threat of the presence of the Church throughout England in her monasteries. The same greed and avarice that had marked the rapid rise of the Reformation in Europe took over. Church land an property was seized by the nobles and the monasteries destroyed. Yet there was still a Catholic presence in England fired by the martydom of saints such as Thomas More and Bishop John Fisher. It fell to Queen Elizabeth to really destroy catholicism. Elizabeth had grown up in a country of fear watching her father and his henchmen put to death those who opposed Protestantism. She also had witnessed his successor Mary Tudor do the same to Protestants. She worked out that for her survival she must choose one Faith and destroy the other. She chose the Protestant cause and by the Acto of Uniformity decided there would be only one faith in England. But her persecution of Catholicism caused her to become paranoid. Her attacks on the Catholic Missions and the hunting down and executions of priests was unprecedented and cruel. Yet English historians are still to question what happened during her reign. Good Queen Bess still is the cry . Het treatment of her cousin Mary Queen of Scots reveals this. She would not give safe passage for Mary to return to Scotland from France unless she rounced her claim to the English throne. She was constatnly interfering in the affairs in Scotland and seeking a suitable marriage for Mary with a good English Protestantthe Earl of Leicester. Mary`s refusals enraged her. Mary`s marriage to Lord Darnley, a nominal catholic, displeased her and she was so active in Scottish affairs that one wonders if she murdered Darnley. That she allowed the trial of Queen Mary, the sovereign of another country to take place in England was an insult tha beggars belief. Then when Mary was in her hands she feared her so much for her Catholic Faith that she imprisoned her for the rest of her life. Realsing that if she died Mary would succeed to the throne, Mary a Catholic, Elizabeth had her executed. But I digress. In England the faith all but disappeared. But times change and today we have a new beginning. Let us bring back the Faith to a country that needs it so much.

THE CONVERSION OF ENGLAND THROUGH MARY.

The Rosary group in my Church added the prayer for the Conversion of England to their prayers a few months back. I became increasingly aware of the power of this prayer and began to realise that it is the prayer we need for the Catholic Church in England today. A false idea of ecumenism has taken the religious spirit away from our Church and our children are paying dearly. Reading the Decree on Ecumenism of Vatican II I realsied that the Church had never given up its claim to be the One True Church and indeed the very first statement on the Decree stated there was only One True Church. To rectify and make our Church holy again we must turn to our Mother Marry since England is her Dowry. She will lead us. So ends my very definite ideas but my thoughts go much further. To be the light that shines in the darkness we need to be truly Catholic. n a world torn by Adultery, Divorce, Contraception and Abortion the Catholic community must be a community in which such things are totally absent. We must be Catholic in every sese of the word totally loyal to the Holy Father and the teachings of the Catholic Church. We therefore need priests to lead us in our devotions and prayers and in retreats which nourish our souls. How will we spread the Faith? Not by knocking on doors or carrying a catechism under our arms but by living the truth. St Francis said "preach the Gospel always and sometimes use words. The prayer for the Conversion of England is the prayer we must spread. It must be said after our rosaries, it must be said in our night prayers, it must be taught to our Children. They must know the great glory of Mary and te Catholic Faith. Of course the conversion of England is not about converting just non-catholics. Many catholics today alas do not know their faith and they must be taught. But above all and most of all we must turn to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, a Jesus so scorned and neglected in many side rooms and unworthy places. Put him in the centre of our Church and in the centre of our lives again. We may be criticised for giving Mary giving Mary such a warm place in our hearts but this will be the real test of our Catholic Faith. Can we take the criticism and insults. I would love one day to go to Mass and at the end to see the priest kneel and lead the community in this prayer for the conversion of England. Pary for this great moment. God bless. John.