No, what upset him and his mates was that he was a Protestant, and they were Catholics. Shades of Northern Ireland except we English (officially) gave up killing people for their religious views in the early 1700s.
I agree that 'Jerusalam' is the best anthem for England, and I say that despite being an atheistical Pagan. The thing can easily be viewed as symbolic, with 'Jerusalem' seen as a metaphor for the tricky and particularly English blend of social justice, respect for tradition, veneration of the environment and a balanced pride in our incredible achievements that we should be attempting to achieve.