Six Articles - Definition and Overview

The Six Articles of 1539 was an Act of Parliament which reaffirmed Henry VIII's general Catholicism. The articles reaffirmed Catholic doctrine on issues such as:

1. transubstantiation,
2. the reasonableness of withholding of the cup from the laity,
3. clerical celibacy,
4. observance of vows of chastity,
5. permission for private masses,
6. the importance of oral confession.

The articles were opposed by the covertly married Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer. After Henry's death, they were repealed and replaced by his son Edward VI.

See also

• Thirty-Nine Articles
• Religion in the United Kingdom