Excommunicated: How Pope Pius V Declared Queen Elizabeth I a Heretic

Was England’s break with Rome really about religious freedom—or about power and authority?

In this controversial episode, Pat and Stephen uncover what actually happened between the English monarchy and the papacy during the Reformation. Drawing on the scholarship of Eamon Duffy, we challenge the familiar narrative of “Bloody” Mary I and tolerant Elizabeth I, showing instead that Catholic faith in England remained vibrant and deeply rooted long after the Reformation began.

We examine Elizabeth I’s Acts of Supremacy and Uniformity, the suppression of the Catholic Mass, and the enforcement of religious conformity—revealing a slow, reluctant reform imposed from above. At the center of the episode is Pope Pius V’s 1570 bull, Regnans in Excelsis, which formally excommunicated Elizabeth I, declared her a heretic, and released her subjects from allegiance.

Finally, we explore how the bull backfired—strengthening Elizabeth’s rule, hardening persecution of Catholics, and cementing the schism between England and Rome that still exists today.

Link to the Papal Bull

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