[xzins]

Scholars have long agreed that Shakespeare’s family background was staunchly Catholic, as Roche reported.

Not trying to be difficult, but at that time in England everyone's "family background" was "staunchly Catholic."

[vladimir998]

Not in the 1570's and 1580's. By then the Catholic faith had been overturned in England (despite the brief reign of Mary in the 1550's) for a generation. Those who remained Catholic throughout the 1540's, 50's, 60's and so on would have had to have been "staunch" to say the least.