2.Roman Catholic Church

The Roman Catholic Church was much persecuted and very weak in England for a long time after the Reformation.Its English hierarchy was extinct from the sixteenth century until 1850，but now England and Wales have four Roman Catholic archbishops and fourteen bishops.The number of Roman Catholics seems to be growing，and there is a trickle of converts，including a fair number of intellectuals.Many of the Roman Catholics in England are the descendants of immigrants from Ireland，which has always remained predominantly Roman Catholic，and it is sometimes said that Roman Catholic priests are among the main Irish exports to England.

Roman Catholics believe that theirs is the only true religion.A faithful Catholic is one who accepts the teachings of Christ as revealed in the Bible，the laws of the Church，and the encyclicals of the popes（according to the doctrine of papal infallibility of 1870，the Pope is never in error in matters of faith and morals when he speaks as the head of the Church）.Roman Catholics believe in the Trinity，holding that there is only one God in three persons，the Father，the Son，and the Holy Ghost，who are distinct from and equal to each other.According to the doctrine of the original sin，when Adam disobeyed God in the Garclen of Eden，all of his descendants shared in his sin.Christ was placed on earth to redeem mankind by sacrificing himself on the Cross.According to a papal bull（official declaration）of 1950，Mary，mother of Christ，was taken up bodily into heaven.

Catholics hold that the soul is immortal.At death，each man and woman will be sent to heaven or hell，depending on what they have earned by their deeds during life and their obedience to the laws of God；before entering heaven，many souls must spend some time in purgatory until they have been made pure.Christ is to come to earth a 2nd time，whereupon all humans will be resurrected bodily and Christ will sit in judgment upon them.