Roman Catholicism contains the largest group of Christians in the world and was very popular prior to Henry VIII’s introduction to the Church of England in the 19th century. The beginning of this new religion caused many Catholics to be denied their civil rights and to experience limitations in their everyday lives. This treatment was eminent from the start. When Henry VIII founded the Church of England (or Anglican Church) those who remained faithful to the Church of Rome were looked upon with suspicion and were denied their rights to serve in parliament, own certain kinds of property, and attend Oxford, Cambridge, and other major universities of that time. This behavior continued until 1829 when parliament granted Roman Catholics full civil rights. Later on in 1840 Parliament continued to support the Roman Catholic religion by taking away any tax support from the Anglican Church. In the end many Catholic rituals were defended and practices such as confession and celibacy were accepted rather than rejected by British Protestants who had long been against these Catholic beliefs.
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