Was money involved in Henry VIII's break away from Catholic Church?

Answer 1

One view

The Church was bled for money by both the papacy and the state from an early date. The money Henry stopped the papacy from getting appears to have gone into his own pocket of that there's no doubt, but most if not all monarchs had done the same for at least 600 years.

Another view

From a Roman Catholic perspective, money was certainly involved in Henry VIII's break with the Church but by no means was it the reason that Henry broke with Rome.

England became a part of the reformation more through politics than theological debate. King Henry VIII (1509-47) needed an heir to the throne and with his wife was unable to produce one. The Pope would not grant a divorce and so Henry convinced Parliament to declare him head of the Church in England. Henry's daughter, Mary Tudor was a staunch Catholic and persecuted the Protestants. When Henry's other daughter, Elizabeth, inherited the throne, she tolerated the Protestants just enough so as not to irritate the Pope. When the English fleet defeated the Spanish Armada in 1588, the Anglican Church permanently replaced the Catholic one in England.

(Below is an excerpt from the biography of Henry VIII)

In 1534 Henry VIII was declared head of the English Church. People had to swear an oath that in future they would obey Henry as head of the church. More refused and he was convicted of high treason. Still refusing to recant, he was executed at the Tower of London on 6 July 1535.

The Pope and the Catholic church in Rome were horrified when they heard the news that Henry had destroyed St. Thomas Becket's Shrine. On 17 December 1538, the Pope announced to the Christian world that Henry VIII had been excommunicated from the Catholic church.

from History of Catholic church - renaissance and reformation