papist

A Dutch crescent-shaped Geuzen medal at the time of the anti-Spanish Dutch Revolt, with the slogan "Liever Turks dan Paaps" ("Rather Turkish than Papist"), 1570.^[1]

Papist is an adjective, usually critical, referring to the Roman Catholic Church, its teaching, practices or adherents.

It was coined during the English Reformation to denote a Christian whose loyalties were to the Pope, rather than to the Church of England. Over time, however, it came to mean one who supported Papal authority over all Christians and thus became a popular term, especially among Anglicans and Presbyterians. The word, dating from A.D. 1534, derives via Middle French from Latin papa, meaning "Pope".^[2]

The word was in common use until the mid-nineteenth century, as shown by its frequent appearance in Macaulay's History of England from the Accession of James II, and in other historical or controversial works of that period. It also appeared frequently in the compound form "Crypto-Papist".^[3][4][5]

It is found in the Penal Laws surviving in the current law of the United Kingdom: under the Act of Settlement enacted in 1701 and still in force, no one who professes "the popish religion" or marries "a papist" may succeed to the throne of the United Kingdom. Fears that Catholic secular leaders would be anti-Protestant arose during the suppression of the Catholic Church in England during the reign of Henry VIII and the subsequent persecution of Protestants during the reign of the Catholic Mary I of England.

A similar term, "papalism", is sometimes used.^[6]

Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) author of Gulliver's Travels, frequently uses the term in his satirical work A Modest Proposal in which he proposes selling Irish children to be eaten by wealthy English landlords.

During the 1928 US presidential election, Democratic Party nominee Al Smith was accused of being a papist. He was the first Catholic to ever receive presidential nomination from a major party and this led to fears that, if he were elected, the United States would be ruled by the Vatican.^[7] Only in 1961 did John F. Kennedy become the country's first, and so far only, Catholic President.

Although the term is not as common today as in the past, some continue to use it.^[8][9]

See also

• Anti-Catholicism
• Bigotry
• Mackerel Snapper
• Popish Plot
• Religious intolerance
• Romanism
• Anti-clericalism

References