1.0Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphiahttps://philadelphiaencyclopedia.orgRoman Catholic Church and Catholics - Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphiarich600338<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="ndBG7ptakp"><a href="https://philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/essays/roman-catholic-church-and-catholics/">Roman Catholic Church and Catholics</a></blockquote><iframe sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" src="https://philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/essays/roman-catholic-church-and-catholics/embed/#?secret=ndBG7ptakp" width="600" height="338" title="“Roman Catholic Church and Catholics” — Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia" data-secret="ndBG7ptakp" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" class="wp-embedded-content"></iframe><script>
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https://philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Catholic-3.jpg636848Philadelphia’s first Catholic Mass was heard in 1708. Despite English law prohibiting Catholic worship, broad religious tolerance had been laid out that year in the Pennsylvania Charter of Privileges by William Penn (1644-1718). The resulting legal tension came to a head in 1733 when a complaint about the “Romish chappell,” Saint Joseph’s in Willing’s Alley, prompted Pennsylvania’s Provincial Council to affirm that the colony’s religious freedom took precedence over the laws of England. From this modest beginning, the Roman Catholic Church grew over the centuries to become the single largest denomination in the Philadelphia region.