Eleanor Finch
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy was a law passed on 12 July 1790 during the French Revolution. It aimed to reorganize the Roman Catholic Church in France by reducing the number of bishops and archbishops, making the clergy paid employees of the government, and requiring all members of the clergy to swear an oath of loyalty to the nation. The constitution caused a schism within the French Church, as it completely subordinated the church to the state and limited the pope’s jurisdiction to spiritual affairs. This led to a split between nonjurors (refractory priests) and jurors (constitutional priests), with Pope Pius VI condemning the Civil Constitution in the spring of 1791.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date passed | 12 July 1790 |
| Purpose | To reorganise and regulate the Catholic Church in France, eliminating corruption and abuses in the church, and limiting the church's political influence |
| Number of titles | 4 |
| Diocesan administration | Each department forms a single diocese, with each diocese corresponding to a département |
| Diocesan elections | To be elected by a local or regional assembly, not appointed by the Vatican |
| Electors | Electors in clerical elections did not have to be Catholic |
| Bishops | Reduced from 135 to 83 |
| Clergy as salaried employees | Paid by the state |
| Clergy oath | Required clergy to take an oath of allegiance to France, causing controversy as priests believed they could not put their loyalty towards France before God |
| Clergy opposition | Refusal to take the oath signalled rejection of the constitution and the legitimacy of the French government |
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What You'll Learn
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy was passed on 12 July 1790 during the French Revolution
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy caused a schism within the French Church, with many devout Catholics turning against the Revolution. It also led to a split between nonjurors (refractory priests) and jurors (constitutional priests). The schism was not fully resolved until 1801, under Napoleon's rule.
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It sought to reorganise the Catholic Church in France
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy was a law passed on 12 July 1790 during the French Revolution. It sought to reorganise the Catholic Church in France by reducing the number of bishops and archbishops, making the clergy paid employees of the government, and requiring all members of the clergy to swear an oath of loyalty to the nation.
The Constitution reduced the number of bishops from 135 to 83, with each diocese corresponding to a département – the basic territorial administrative unit established by the Assembly. Bishops and priests would be elected by a local or regional assembly, rather than appointed by the Vatican, and controversially, electors in clerical elections did not have to be Catholic.
The Constitution also included a clause requiring the clergy to take an oath of fidelity, stating their allegiance to France. This was controversial because many priests believed they could not put their loyalty towards France before their loyalty towards God. Refusal to take the oath signalled a rejection of the Constitution and, implicitly, the legitimacy of the French government.
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy was an attempt to reorganise and regulate the Catholic Church in France, eliminate corruption and abuses in the church, and limit the church's political influence. It became one of the new regime's most controversial and divisive policies, generating more dissent and fuelling more opposition than any other revolutionary policy.
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It reduced the number of bishops and archbishops
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy was a law passed on 12 July 1790 during the French Revolution. It was an attempt to reorganise the Roman Catholic Church in France on a national basis. The law reduced the number of bishops from 135 to 83, with each diocese corresponding to a département—the basic territorial administrative unit established by the Assembly.
The law also required that bishops and priests be elected by a local or regional assembly, rather than appointed by the Vatican. Electors in clerical elections did not have to be Catholic. This was a highly controversial aspect of the law, as was the requirement that bishops swear an oath of loyalty to the nation, the law, and the king. This oath was not a radical departure from existing customs, as newly consecrated bishops had been required to swear an oath of loyalty to the king since the reign of Louis XIV. However, the Civil Constitution's oath extended this loyalty to the nation and the law, and required bishops to "support with all his power the constitution decreed by the National [Constituent] Assembly".
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy caused a schism within the French Church, with many devout Catholics turning against the Revolution. The Church was split between nonjurors (refractory priests) and jurors (constitutional priests). Those who refused to take the oath signalled their rejection of the Constitution and, implicitly, the legitimacy of the French government. By the spring of 1791, the Catholic Church in France was divided between clerics willing to swear loyalty to the nation and those who remained loyal to Rome.
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy also made the clergy paid employees of the government. This was a natural extension of the nationalisation of church property and the removal of the tithe that the church had previously relied upon.
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Clergy were required to take an oath of allegiance to France
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy was a law passed on 12 July 1790 during the French Revolution. It was an attempt to reorganise the Roman Catholic Church in France by bringing it under the control of the French government. The law included a requirement for the clergy to take an oath of allegiance to the nation of France, also known as the "Civic Oath".
The oath was controversial because it required priests to publicly declare whether they believed the French state or the Pope had supreme authority in ecclesiastical matters. This put the clergy in a difficult position, as refusing to take the oath signalled a rejection of the Constitution and the legitimacy of the French government, while taking the oath could be seen as putting their loyalty to France before their loyalty to God. The Pope's open condemnation of the Civil Constitution further complicated the matter, as many clerics who had equivocated now refused to take the oath, and some who had already taken it renounced it.
The National Constituent Assembly ordered the clergy to take the oath on 16 January 1791, and approximately half of those required to do so complied, while the remainder awaited the Pope's decision on how to respond. Ultimately, only about 54% of the clergy ever took the oath, and the church in France was split between "nonjurors" (refractory priests) and "jurors" (constitutional priests).
The schism caused by the Civil Constitution was not fully resolved until 1801, under Napoleon's rule, when the Concordat was signed. The requirement for clergy to take an oath of allegiance to France was a significant factor in the conflict between the French government and the Catholic Church during the French Revolution.
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It caused a schism within the French Church
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy, passed on 12 July 1790, was a law that attempted to reorganise the Roman Catholic Church in France. It caused a schism within the French Church, creating two opposing factions.
The first group was an illegal and underground French Catholic Church that remained loyal to the Papacy. This faction disagreed with the strict subordination of the church to the state and the limitation of the pope's jurisdiction to spiritual affairs. They refused to take an oath of allegiance to France, which was required by the Civil Constitution, and instead chose to maintain their loyalty to the Pope. This group included approximately half of the parish priests and seven bishops, who were now considered "nonjurors" or "refractory priests". The non-juring priests were declared suspects and could be arrested. The Holy September Martyrs, or Blessed Martyrs of Carmes, were 191 Roman Catholics killed during the September Massacres of 1792, the majority of whom were non-jurors.
The second group was a "constitutional church" that was subservient to the state. This group accepted the Civil Constitution and took the oath of allegiance to France, becoming known as "jurors" or "constitutional priests". They believed that the church should be regulated and reorganised to eliminate corruption and abuses and to limit the church's political influence. This faction included the other half of the parish priests and only seven bishops.
The schism caused by the Civil Constitution of the Clergy was not fully resolved until 1801, under Napoleon's rule, with the Concordat of 1801. The conflict between the two factions within the French Church deepened the divides in French society and contributed to the overall turmoil of the French Revolution.
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Frequently asked questions
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy was a law passed on 12 July 1790 during the French Revolution. It was an attempt to reorganise the Roman Catholic Church in France by nationalising it.
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy reduced the number of bishops from 135 to 83, made each diocese correspond to a département, and made the clergy paid employees of the government. It also required all members of the clergy to swear an oath of loyalty to the nation, which was very controversial.
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy caused a schism within the French Church, creating an illegal and underground French Catholic Church loyal to the Papacy, and a "constitutional church" that was subservient to the State. This schism was not fully resolved until 1801.
