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  1. On this day - 31 March

On this day - 31 March

Historical items of interest as featured in the papers of the day.

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First UK married priests to be reordained Catholic

Church Times 31/03/1987

An announcement made by the Vatican on March 31st 1987 confirmed that two British priests were going to be reordained as Roman Catholics. Both men were formerly Anglican priests and both men were married. This was the first time that married men were to be reordained in the UK although the process had been carried out elsewhere.

Clerical celibacy refers to the discipline within the Catholic Church that states only men who are not married are able to become ordained.

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Poll tax riots

Daily Express 31/03/1990
The community charge or poll tax was introduced in 1990 to replace the previous taxation system. It allowed each local authority to set a fixed amount of tax which each person would then be charged. The introduction of this system was not popular and led to protests and riots as a response. The largest riot took place on March 31st 1990 in London. The system was swiftly repealed in 1991 in response to public feedback.

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