Westminster Cathedral is the motherchurch of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Westminster.
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Westminster is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the United Kingdom. Situated in England, the archdiocese is composed of Greater London boroughs north of the Thames and west of Waltham Forest and Newham, including the districts of Staines and Sunbury-on-Thames, and the county of Hertfordshire.
The archdiocese is led by the Archbishop of Westminster who serves as pastor of the motherchurch, Westminster Cathedral. In modern times, the archbishop is usually elevated to become cardinal in consistory by the pope. He is also the Primate of England and Wales, the spiritual leader of all Roman Catholics in Great Britain.
The archdiocese was canonically erected in 1622 as a missionary colony called the Apostolic Vicariate of England. With the growth of the Roman Catholic Church in England, the original apostolic vicariate was broken up and its name was changed to become the Apostolic Vicariate of London District on January 30, 1688. The apostolic vicariate was elevated to the rank of archdiocese on September 29, 1850, as it remains today.
Several instances through the history of the Archdiocese of Westminster, its devoted followers were suppressed by the various governments of England: most notably during the reigns of Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell and Queen Elizabeth I.
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