Sectarianism Karen Devine 2008 What is Sectarianism Sectarianism

What is Sectarianism? Sectarianism involves hatred towards another sect of a similar religious tradition.

What were the issues? n Old world suspicions of Anglicans by Catholics. n Catholics

Protestants separate to the Catholics § a) b) c) d) The main areas of

Types of division n There were ethnic, cultural, linguistic and religious divisions between the

Did the tensions begin in the colony? n The tensions between the Catholics and

Referendum on Conscription • • • In 1916 there was a referendum on conscription

Catholic Bitterness After WWI, Sectarianism continued and worsened. • Catholics were bitter that they

Exclusive Societies Sectarianism was witnessed in exclusive Protestant and Catholic societies which only admitted

Employer Sectarianism There were also some non-subtle aspects of sectarianism. • For example, some

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Sectarianism © Karen Devine 2008

What is Sectarianism? Sectarianism involves hatred towards another sect of a similar religious tradition. n The arrival of Christianity in Australia brought tensions between Catholics and Protestants. n

What were the issues? n Old world suspicions of Anglicans by Catholics. n Catholics were targetted as a minority group by the Protestants. n Protestants disputed oppression by other protestant denominations.

Protestants separate to the Catholics § a) b) c) d) The main areas of difference identified by the Protestant groups were: the foreign language of Catholics (Gaelic) their fierce loyalty to Ireland their convict connections mysterious Catholic ceremonial rituals.

Types of division n There were ethnic, cultural, linguistic and religious divisions between the 2 groups.

Did the tensions begin in the colony? n The tensions between the Catholics and the Protestants did not originate in Australia and probably dated back to the Reformation.

Referendum on Conscription • • • In 1916 there was a referendum on conscription for WWI. Catholics opposed conscription and Protestants supported it. Protestants saw the issue as one of supporting the mother country. The Catholic Archbishop Daniel Mannix opposed conscription. There were 2 referenda on conscription. Both were defeated narrowly.

Catholic Bitterness After WWI, Sectarianism continued and worsened. • Catholics were bitter that they were still mistrusted even though they had given their “sons” to the Australian war effort. •

Exclusive Societies Sectarianism was witnessed in exclusive Protestant and Catholic societies which only admitted members from their own denomination. • These societies included: a) The Loyal Orange Lodge (Protestant) b) Knights of the Southern Cross (Catholic) •

Employer Sectarianism There were also some non-subtle aspects of sectarianism. • For example, some employers refused to hire Catholics. • It was not until the 1960’s and 1970’s that overt sectarianism disappeared. •