Why have Catholics been Feared/Despised Throughout History?

Question

I don't know much world history or religion. However, it always seems to me that Catholics have been a much despised group in American history. This seems to be a recurring theme. There was a lot of anger(?) and hatred directed toward the Irish in the 19th century, and most Irish, as far as I know, were Catholic. Many thought that John Kennedy could not win the presidency due to his Catholicism.

Why have Catholics been so despised? Is it because of some kind of tenet within the religion itself? Is it a historical reason, perhaps having to do with the Catholic Church?

Please enlighten me.

Answer 1

Good question. The answer is quite simple, based on two American demographic characteristics and one American political doctrine. And not nearly as complicated as some other posters have suggested.

First, go back to the earliest American roots. The English colonies were overwhelmingly Protestant. True, there were some Catholics early on, especially in Maryland where George Calvert, Lord Baltimore (a Catholic), established a colony where Catholics would be tolerated, but the fact remains that the earliest American traditions, strongly influenced by religion (Puritans, for example), were Protestant. And Protestants in particular tended to despise Catholics for reasons that date back to the Protestant Reformation.

Next, consider the demographic make-up of American immigrants in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Large contingents of Irish, Italians, Poles, and other eastern Europeans came through the immigration center at Ellis Island in New York harbor. These groups were largely Catholic; they were usually fleeing economic conditions in the old country; and they often came to America only "with the clothes on their backs and a dollar in their pockets."

These were working class immigrants seeking to make a new life in America, but who were at the bottom of the economic ladder and who represented a perceived threat to the existing status quo. (Compare with the current debate over illegal immigration and the recent emergence of a large Spanish-speaking minority in this country.)

It was this tide of immigration that made the Catholics the largest single religious denomination in America, but because they were "different", they were perceived by many as a threat. There was a fear that Catholics were trying to take over the country.

And the third reason is rooted in the American doctrine of separation of Church and State. To some extent, this was used as a justification for prejudice against Catholics, but there is a historical basis for skepticism. For one thing, the Catholic Church is authoritarian and hierarchic, with the pope at its head. How, skeptics ask, can one's loyalties be divided between Church and Country? If the Congress says yes, but the pope says no, doesn't religious allegiance trump allegiance to one's country? Non-Catholics see this divided allegiance as a real problem, and John Kennedy had to face this issue head-on in the West Virginia primary in 1960. (He won, showing that a Catholic was electable.)

The other facet of this last point is that for 1700 years (since the Roman emperor Constantine), there had always been a mutually supportive relationship between the Vatican and the entrenched European nobility -- the Divine Right of Kings. Church and State in Europe -- especially during the Middle Ages -- were tightly bound, as in State Religion, and this highly conservative relationship was at odds with the American doctrine of Separation of Church and State. That posed a threat to American non-Catholics -- the threat that Kennedy had to confront in West Virginia.

I think this answers your question.

Answer 2

The Catholic church has had its ups and downs. Some due to bad popes and bribes. War. Or misconceptions about war. Now many protestant either believe the Catholic church is too hard or too soft on other religions. Pope John Paul II recognized this and confessed to the world community. Of course, we couldn't just expect to be forgiven. No, the same prejudices still exist, sometimes due to Priest proliferating their own belief system in the guise of what the Church says is true.

The Catholic church believes that if it is the true church, it will necessarily be blamed and demonized by Satan and other. The pope will likewise be seen as the anti-christ. I personally doubt the anti-christ will actually come as such an ideal target for criticism.

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ADDITION: I see this prejudice even in the answers you are recieving. The Catholic church has a beautiful mass that they use. You are also allows to worship in other ways as well. But the mass is a very good demonstration of faith and stable. I also challenge the "indoctrination" claimed by one of those who responded. Many people think that Catholics are close minded. Actually, we are supposed to be open-minded instead. Many churches have views on the afterlife or creation that the Catholic church hasn't made a call on, thus no doctrine, just lots of valid interpretation. It has guidlines and arguements against some interpretations, but otherwise doesn't limit you.

Answer 3

Let see for many years in Europe the Catholic Church was the leading force in trying to do away with the Jewish People either by killing them off or pushing them out of the countries they live. The Catholic church in Italy also stole Jewish Children from their families and force them into convert and monasteries to become priest and nuns and convert them to the Catholic Church. This was all done because by using negative peer pressure people and by using such pressure people will joyfully want to convert to your religion. In Canada, the Catholic Church was one of the few Churches that ran residential schools for First Nation Children in that country. The government was hoping to turn these children into white man by destroying them. In these church run schools children were beaten if they spoke their language, sexually abused by priest and physically abused too by priest and nuns so really where is the love of G-d in that particular way of teaching these children to be Christians. Next, the Catholic church is a sexless church their priest and nuns are denied sexual pleasure of marriage all because they have to give their all to service G-d. This makes for a dysfunctional person and it's been know as I just mention that priest will find away to have sex with others and so will nuns so why doesn't the church except this fact and let their church leaders get married. Also the Catholic Church doesn't believe in birth control and because of that many Catholic children in poor countries are dying because their parents can't afford to feed them.
Now for your question about the Irish Catholics will they have always been looked down upon by the Irish who are protestants and originally came from England to be land owners over the Catholic Irish after England conquered that country. Since both Canada and the United States have a lot of English influence it was that influence of the Anglican church and it's sister church in America that fueled the hatred of the Catholic Irish peasant as someone who was undeducated and dirty.

Answer 4

Catholicism tends to be the most ritualistic and the least understood of the different facets of Christianity.

People tend to see it as more severe and controlling than other religions. There's so much indoctrination in Catholicism that there isn't much room for making your own decisions about what's right and wrong. People also, for this reason, see Catholics as very likely to do things according to their religion regardless of what other people want them to do.

For example: Let's say (JUST FOR THE SAKE OF ARGUMENT) that 90% of the country has no problem with abortion. People are afraid that a Catholic president would do everything in his power to criminalize abortions, despite the fact that only 10% of the country feels the same way as he does-- that his religion "compels" him to do things against the grain.

Answer 5

Because they tend to murder people who don't agree with them. Consider the murder of over 30% of the German population in the 30 years war by Catholics, or the murder of hundreds by burning to death by the inquisition or the destruction and murder of peoples in South America in the name of salvation. Consider the apparent support of Hitler's genocide of the Jews in the second World War. And we have only scratched the surface of the full extent of Catholic love towards mankind. The killing of civilians and support by Irish Catholic Americans of the IRA is a more modern example. To top this all off is the Vatican's infallibility - it's inability to admit or do any wrong and you have some reasons why people are distrustful of Catholics.

Of course the Catholic church has an inbuilt correcting mechanism. No matter what you do - murder, rape etc. confess it to the priest and all is forgiven and forgotten. No wonder it is so popular. And it produces paragons like Mel Gibson who deny the holocaust and are anti - Semitic.

Answer 6

I think you're seeing this with tinted shades. Every religion, from an internal perspective, sees itself as being persecuted and despised. It's a part of the psyche of organised religion. In order to feel as though you're worshiping the one true God, you have to ostracise (to some extent) other beliefs that don't worship God, hence you are polarised. Since protestantism is the far majority in the US, they would treat catholics with an element of disdain for having a warped sense of Christianity.

Muslims, though, are by far the most hated group in the US at present.

Answer 7

Some of these answers are garbage. A principal reason is that Catholics have been seen as being loyal to the pope and not to their temporal leaders. Governments in predominantly Protestant countries have thus been suspicious of Catholics' loyalty, which is why, for example, until 1829 they could not even vote in the Unitred Kingdom.

Answer 8

i've got heard it informed as greater human beings then have been killed in WW1 &WW2 mixed. As a pagan i've got heard some say as many as 9 million over the years. yet this could have wiped out most of the inhabitants of earth on the time & is unreasonable, so the type historians look to return up with is 3 million.

Answer 9

Most likely caused by the inquisitions, witch hunts, massacre of protestant heretics (eg. St. Barthelmew's Massacre), and other violent episodes of the medieval era... Their intolerance and the backing of the popes, gave the early catholics a bad name.

Answer 10

The inquisition to start with. The persecution of anyone--even great thinkers like Galileo--threatened or worse killed, because their scientific thinking was perceived as a threat to the pope.