Reestablishment of the episcopal hierarchy in the Netherlands

On 4 March 1853, Pope Pius IX restored the episcopal hierarchy in the Netherlands with the papal bull Ex qua die arcano,[1] after the Dutch Constitutional Reform of 1848 had made this possible.

[2] After becoming head of state of the Spanish Empire (including the Low Countries), crusading Habsburg king Philip II of Spain reorganised the Dutch dioceses in 1559.

Roermond and 's-Hertogenbosch became part of the southern ecclesiastical province of the Metropolitan Archbishop of Mechelen (further roughly including present Belgium).

After initial persecution, Catholics were eventually tolerated, especially in the larger cities, as long as they would not openly profess Catholicism.

State regulation remained however: wearing clerical clothing in public and ringing church bells were not allowed for example.

Napoleon Bonaparte and Pope Pius VII solved a number of pending issues between church and state with the Concordat of 1801.

The last bishop of Roermond, Jan Baptist Robert baron van Velde tot Melroy en Sart-Bomal, was appointed vicar of the new Apostolic Vicariate of Grave-Nijmegen in 1801.

The "Ministry of Roman Catholic Worship Affairs" (Dutch: Ministerie van Zaken der Rooms-Katholieke Eredienst) was founded in the Kingdom of Holland.

From 1812 - at this point the Netherlands was a part of Napoleon I Bonaparte's Franch Empire - the so-called "extinction acts" (Dutch: uitstervingsbesluiten) would prevent monasteries from accepting new members, its ultimate purpose being the elimination of monastic orders.