To deal with the rapid increase of the number of Catholics in England and reinforce the management of the Church, Pope Pius IX proclaimed the restoration of the Catholic Hierarchy in England in 1850. When the news was made public in England, it quickly caused panic among the public and became known as the "Papal Aggression." The resulting attack on Roman Catholicism swept through all forms of popular culture in English society, such as newspapers, journals and other media, which triggered petitions and protests around the country and formed this new round of anti-Catholic trend. In addition to and in spite of traditional sectarian disputes, this trend reflected the defense of national sovereignty and religious independence on the part of the English population. The response to the "Papal Aggression" in England was not only the product of religious conflicts, but also the localized expression of the European anti-catholic "Culture Wars" of the mid-19^(th) century in general.