Papal bull restores Roman Catholic hierarchy in England

Historical Context Note

Litencyc Editors (Independent Scholar - Europe)

The Literary Encyclopedia. WORLD HISTORY AND IDEAS: A CROSS-CULTURAL VOLUME.
Vol. editors: Robert Clark (The Literary Encyclopedia), Jessica E. Gossling (Goldsmiths College, University of London), Grace Moore (University of Otago), Cristina Sandru (The Literary Encyclopedia)

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Catholic

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Date of occurrence 1850-09-29

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Vatican City (Location)
United Kingdom (Involved)

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Twenty-one years after the Catholic Emancipation Act, Pope Pius IX decided to restore the Roman Catholic hierarchy in England. On 29 September 1850 Nicholas Wiseman (1802-1865) was appointed Archbishop of Westminster, and the following day elevated to the rank of cardinal, the first English cardinal since the Reformation. Wiseman was of Irish extraction, had founded the Roman Catholic Dublin Review, and served as vicar apostolic in the midlands, an area which received considerable Irish immigration during the industrial revolution. Twelve other Catholic bishoprics were established. The restoration of the Roman Catholic hierarchy, whilst supported by Newman, Pusey and the Oxford Movement, was greeted with hostility by many, and effiges of Wiseman joined those of Guy Fawkes on top of bonfires on 5 November.

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Citation: Editors, Litencyc. "Papal bull restores Roman Catholic hierarchy in England". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 12 December 2007 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=5489, accessed 10 June 2026.]

Papal bull restores Roman Catholic hierarchy in England

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