The words Popery and Papism are archaic pejorative words in the English language for Roman Catholicism, historically used by Protestants and Anglicans to label their Roman Catholic opponents, who differed from them in accepting the authority of the Pope over the Christian Church. The words were popularised during the English Reformation (1532–1559), when the Church of England broke away from the Roman Catholic Church and divisions emerged between those who rejected Papal authority and those who continued to follow Rome. The words are recognised as pejorative; they have been in widespread use in Protestant and Anglican writings until the mid-nineteenth century, including in some laws that remain in force in the United Kingdom.
