Orwell thought that the novel was a Protestant art form. This may seem silly, especially when you consider the number of Catholic novelists, and indeed the number of Catholic, or predominantly Catholic, countries where good novels have been written.
Many of Orwell’s views were indeed silly. Nevertheless, they were usually worth considering, if only to ask why he thought as he did. In this case, dislike of what he took to be Catholic proselytising was one reason. Another more persuasive one was his belief that the novelist was a man sceptical of whatever was the current dogma.
