HIERARCHY CENTENARY CONGRESS 1950 (Roman Catholic) - an official centenary celebration badge showing the Congress' emblem

Postage is extra.

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For sale is a vintage badge celebrating the centenary of the Universalis Ecclesiae, a Papal Bull (decree) issued by Pope Pius IX on 29th September 1850. This led to the establishment of the Roman Catholic diocesan hierarchy across England and Wales with the creation of thirteen new dioceses along with a hierarchy structure of archbishops, bishops and clergy. Each diocese would have its own Archbishop, with Westminster being the Metropolitan See and the Archbishop of Westminster having primacy. The old system of pre-Reformation dioceses across Britain had effectively been extinguished and suppressed since the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558-1603) but today there are twenty-two Roman Catholic dioceses across England and Wales. A new system of Catholic dioceses would not be extended to Scotland until 1878.

The design of this badge shows the official emblem of the 1950 Hierarchy Centenary Congress which took place in London from the 25th September to the 1st October 1950. The inclusion of a pallium with its four crosses was adapted from the Westminster See coat-of-arms.

A Catholic Congress is a formal gathering of the clergy from all ranks within the Church as well as involving Catholics of the general public. The 1950 centenary celebrations included not only formal gatherings of the clergy but also public gatherings, fetes and re-enactments of scenes from the history of catholic emancipation.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universalis_Ecclesiae (The Universalis Ecclesiae 1850).

https://victorianweb.org/religion/Hierarchy_Reestablished.html (Short atricle titled "Re-establishment of the Catholic Hierarchy in England, 1850" by Anthony S. Wohl, Professor of History, Vassar College).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQyY9JaP2CY (A British Pathe film of Congress celebrations held at a stadium 1950).

https://www.theheraldrysociety.com/articles/the-arms-of-the-catholic-archdiocese-of-westminster/ (Metropolitan See of Westminster coat-of-arms).

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DESCRIPTION:
Size: about 1 1/8" diameter (28mm).
Material(s): brass metal.
Finish: gilt.
Fitting: pin.
Imprint: FATTORINI & SONS. LTD BRADFORD WORKS B'HAM
Approximate age: 1950

CONDITION:
Very good condition. No damage. Wear to the original gilt plating on both sides.
Please see photograph(s), these form part of the description.

POSTAGE:
* Postal costs are extra, additional to the Asking Price.
* I always get a proof-of-posting certificate.
* I combine postal costs for multiple items when these are paid for and posted the same time.

RETURNS:
* Return accepted if the item(s) is returned in same condition it left me, then the full Agreed Asking Price will be refunded. Postal costs are not refundable.
* Buyer pays the return postal costs - unless agreed otherwise.

B.40