Catholicisation

Not to be confused with Catholic missions.

Catholicisation refers mainly to the conversion of adherents of other religions into Catholicism, and the system of expanding Catholic influence in politics. Catholicisation was a policy of the Holy See through the Papal States, Holy Roman Empire, Habsburg Monarchy, etc. Sometimes this process is referred to as re-Catholicization although in many cases Catholicized people had never been Catholics before.

History

East–West Schism

Main article: East–West Schism

Counter-Reformation

Main article: Counter-Reformation

Eastern Catholic Churches

Main article: Eastern Catholic Churches

The term is also used for the communion of Eastern Christian churches into the Roman Catholic Church; the Eastern Catholic Churches that follow the Byzantine, Alexandrian, Armenian, East Syrian, and West Syrian Rites, as opposed to the Roman Catholic Latin Rite.

By ethnic group

Albanians

All Albanians were Orthodox Christians until the middle of the 13th century when the Ghegs were converted to Catholicism as a mean to resist the Slavs.

Serbs

Main article: Catholicisation of Serbs

Most Serbs are Eastern Orthodox Christians. Since the many migrations into the Habsburg Monarchy beginning in the 16th century, there has been efforts to Catholicize the community. The Orthodox Eparchy of Marča became the Catholic Eparchy of Križevci after waves of conversion in the 17th and 18th centuries.

See also

• Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples
• Inquisition

Christianization by the Papacy

• Christianization of Poland
• Christianization of Bohemia

Further reading

• (Serbian)