Although Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries from 1536 to 1541 and established himself as Supreme Governor of the Church of England in place of the Pope in 1531 and 1534, Anglican doctrine during his reign remained Catholic in most respects, particularly after 1539. The Six Articles Act 1539 was described as "An Act abolishing diversity of Opinions"; it asserted transubstantiation, clerical celibacy, and auricular confession. The penalty for refusing to make confession or to take communion was death.
