Why the Roman Catholic Church Is Rising in England—and What It Reveals About Faith in an Age of Uncertainty

Anglican Ink ^ | April 17, 2025

[CondoleezzaProtege]

I am not a sociologist or demographer, but after reading several reports and watching the slow decline of the Anglican Church in England—and its moribund sister, The Episcopal Church in the United States—I am not surprised. Even within the breakaway Anglican Church in North America, of which I am a part, the same questions are surfacing. The Roman Catholic “takeover,” as some headlines put it, is not a fluke. It’s the fruit of something deeper. And I believe there are lessons here for us in the American Church—Catholic and Protestant alike.

Roman Catholicism is a branch¹ of Christianity—deep-rooted, global, and ancient. Anglicanism, by contrast, is a denomination. It may feel like a branch because of its deep roots in English culture and history, but in truth, it is a denominational leaf—ever adapting, ever reforming.

…Roman Catholicism is not democratic. It doesn’t ask the culture to weigh in on what it believes—it declares it. And in an age when society is debating everything—from truth to gender to morality—there is something profoundly reassuring about a church that does not budge.

In our modern Western world, Christianity has long been personalized. It’s about me and Jesus. We say, “Christianity isn’t a religion; it’s a relationship.”

But is that really true? Is that all it is?

In any event, the rise of Islam in the UK presents a stark contrast. Islam is clearly a religion—public, practiced, and patterned. You can see it in the dress, prayer times, dietary rules, the fasting seasons. And the result? People know who Muslims are and, for the most part, they know what Muslims believe. There’s no ambiguity.

Roman Catholicism reflects a similar structure. It offers a religion, not just a relationship. There are rhythms, rituals, holy days, moral expectations, and communal identity. It’s not something you keep hidden.

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TOPICS: Catholic; Mainline Protestant; Religion & Culture
KEYWORDS: anglican; catholic; christianity; uk

[Gene Eric]

>> Roman Catholicism is not democratic. It doesn’t ask the culture to weigh in on what it believes

I’ve long held the belief that the RC Church is a quasi theocracy that straddles world politics and Scripture — a necessary evil perhaps.

>> Islam is clearly a religion

No. Islam is simply a war plan of domination that has no effective Judeo-Christian component.

[hinckley buzzard]

For true Christians, it is an identity, a way of life (early Christians called themselves followers of the Way). The Roman Catholic Church offers the richness of tradition and the continuity of two thousand years. The “Community of Saints” spoken of in The Apostle’s Creed. A theology based on Scripture, philosophy and reason. Gifts from the Patristic theologians, Augustine, the NeoPlatonists, through Thomas Aquinas, and the great Medieval Saints.

Yes we’ve got bad popes and abuser priests, and we know the devil loves to hang out in churches. But where does he not, and where else does the repentant sinner access the gifts of Grace?

[taxesareforever]

You are right. And for him to say the RCC hasn’t changed and is solid in its beliefs is absurd.

[irishjuggler]

Obviously we have big problems in the Catholic Church... but, by nearly any metric, the Church of E is doing worse. At some point soon probably within the next 50 years, with basically no Anglicans left in England, some prime minister is going to say, “Why are we, the British government, still in the religion business? Let’s just shut the thing down and sell off some of these old cathedrals and churches to the previous ownership?”

[factmart]

Any person that puts their salvation in a church, is be deceived by Satan.

Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the father, except through Jesus Christ.

Jesus said that in end times, deception would be rampart. People are deceived by religion traditions and man made religious laws.

Ye must be born again.

[Liz]

A huge asset of Catholicism is the appeal to the intellect .......
the ability to engage in critical thinking and reasoning.

A key teaching of Catholicism, is “free will”..... the capacity, given by God, for humans to make deliberate choices and act with responsibility. It’s a gift of God’s love that allows individuals to choose good or evil, with the ultimate goal of pursuing a relationship with God and living a virtuous life. This ability to choose is rooted in reason and will, enabling humans to shape their own lives and grow in virtue.

God-given gift: Catholics believe God has endowed humanity with the ability to choose, allowing for the possibility of love, growth, and salvation, or conversely, the possibility of sin and destruction.

Responsibility and virtue: Free will comes with the responsibility to choose what is good and true, which is called virtue. Conversely, choosing what is not good or true is considered sin, according to Catholic teaching.

Not a license for any choice: While free will is a fundamental aspect of human dignity, it’s not a license to do whatever one wants. Catholics believe that freedom is not the freedom to choose what is right and wrong, but rather the freedom to choose good or evil, with the ultimate goal of aligning one’s will with God’s will.

God’s plan and free will: The Catholic Church acknowledges the existence of God’s plan for the world and humanity, including the role of free will. God’s omniscience doesn’t negate free will; rather, it allows God to know in advance what individuals will choose, even while they remain free to choose.

[Liz]

Catholic teaching of “Presumption and Despair” is characterized
as being detrimental to “hope,” a sought after theological virtue.
<><>Presumption involves excessive hope,
<><>belief in salvation without effort or repentance,
<><>despair is the complete abandonment of hope for salvation, believing it impossible.

Presumption is characterized by a misplaced confidence in God’s mercy and power, leading one to expect salvation without proper effort or repentance. It involves assuming salvation is guaranteed regardless of one’s actions or lack thereof. Presumption can be seen as a manifestation of pride, as it suggests a lack of humility and recognition of one’s need for God’s grace.

The Catholic church considers pride a grievous sin.....
as in its teaching that “pride goeth before a fall.”

Despair is the complete Abandonment of Hope. Despair is the opposite of presumption, involving a complete loss of hope in God’s mercy and forgiveness. Believing Salvation Impossible: It is characterized by the belief that one’s sins are too great to be forgiven or that God is incapable of granting salvation. Despair can hinder the process of repentance and seeking forgiveness, as it leads to the feeling that it is futile to hope for God’s grace.

Presumption is an excessive hope, while despair is a complete lack of hope. Presumption ignores the need for effort and repentance, while despair denies the possibility of salvation through God’s grace. Presumption can be linked to pride, while despair can be a consequence of hopelessness. In short, despair is an obstacle to seeking God’s forgiveness – which one in a state of despair thinks is impossible.

[I-ambush]

‘Roman Catholicism is a branch¹ of Christianity—deep-rooted, global, and ancient.’

The Catholic Church is not a “branch” of Christianity; it IS Christianity, the Church founded by Christ Hinself. That is why the Anglican Church and other Protestant sects, even though they may bear fruit to a degree, will eventually fall to the wayside.

[odawg]

It is rising because the Church of England went completely woke. That is to say -— lost their minds.