Roman Catholicism in Ireland - History

History

The up to the Cambro-Norman invasion in 1169, the Irish Church practised what is now referred to as Celtic Christianity. A reform to the Roman style diocesan system developed slowly after the Synod of Rathbreasail in 1111. In 1155, Pope Adrian IV, the sole English born Pope, issued a papal bull known as Laudabiliter. This gave Henry II permission to invade Ireland as a means of strengthening the Papacy's control over the Irish Church. The Norman invasion of Ireland began in 1169, under the authority of this bull. Adrian IV's successor, Pope Alexander III, ratified the Laudabiliter and gave Henry dominion over the "barbarous nation" of Ireland so that its "filthy practises" may be abolished, its Church brought into line, and that the Irish pay their tax to Rome. After the Norman invasion, a greater number of foreign-born prelates were appointed. A confusing but defining period arose during the English Reformation in the 16th century, with monarchs alternately for or against Papal supremacy. When in 1558 the church in England broke away from what became known as the Roman Catholic Church, all but two of the bishops of the Church in Ireland followed the Church of England decision, although almost none of the local clergy led the laity to do so. The new body became the established State Church, was grandfathered the possession of most Church property. This allowed the Church of Ireland to retain a great repository of religious architecture and other religious items, some of which were later destroyed in future wars. The substantial majority of the population remained Roman Catholic, despite the political and economic advantages of membership in the state church. Despite its numerical minority, however, the Church of Ireland remained the official state church for almost three hundred years until it was disestablished on 1 January 1871 by the Irish Church Act 1869 that was passed by Gladstone's Liberal government.

The effect of the Act of Supremacy 1558 and the Papal bull of 1570 (Regnans in Excelsis) caused the majority population of both kingdoms to be governed by an Anglican Ascendancy. After the defeat of King James II of The Three Kingdoms in 1690, the Test Acts were introduced which began a long era of discrimination against the recusant Catholics of the Kingdoms. The slow process of reform from 1778 on led to Catholic Emancipation in 1829. By then Ireland was a part of the newly created United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.