In the autumn of 1676, Father de la Colombière was sent to England, at a time of great tension in that country, religiously torn by the civil wars of the mid-century. There the Jesuit carried out his ministry as chaplain and preacher to Mary of Modena, a Catholic noblewoman who had become the Duchess of York, that is, queen of England, Scotland and Ireland.
That was a time of relative calm, until in 1678 a rumor about an alleged Catholic plot against the English monarchy spread through the country. Even though it was a lie, the rumor led to the execution of 35 innocent people, including eight Jesuit priests. Father Claudio Colombière was not executed but he was accused, arrested and locked in a dungeon, where he remained for several weeks.
The French Jesuit heroically endured that test; However, the conditions of the prison greatly damaged his health. Without even recovering, he was expelled from England.