... arrival of the seminary priests from Douai and the Jesuits that saved English Catholicism from complete extinction. Another historian C. Haigh counters this suggesting that Catholic survivalism was strong in the 1560s and that its demise can be attributed to 'strategic and logistical errors' made by the seminary priests and the Jesuits. It is perhaps easier to agree with Bossy as during the 1560s many Catholics reluctantly accepted the new church, often because of a lack of strong leadership from the papacy. Pope Pius IV hoped to persuade Elizabeth to join the catholic fold and Philip II feared that if the queen was overthrown Mary Queen of Scots would succeed thus driving England into the arms of France. Also the penalties issued to Catholics under the terms of the 1559 settlement were deliberately made light in order to steer them away from attempted opposition. Indeed, the Catholic threat remained dormant ...

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