Omar Bennett
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy was a law passed on July 12, 1790, during the French Revolution (1789-1799). It was an attempt to reorganise the Catholic Church in France and realign it with the values of the Revolution. The law was highly controversial and divisive, causing a schism within the French Church and turning many Catholics and clerics against the Revolution. The main features of the Civil Constitution of the Clergy were to reduce the number of bishops, make the clergy paid employees of the government, and require all members of the clergy to swear an oath of loyalty to the nation.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date passed | 12 July 1790 |
| Passed by | National Constituent Assembly |
| Sanctioned by | King Louis XVI |
| Aim | To reorganise and regulate the Catholic church in France |
| To eliminate corruption and abuses in the church | |
| To limit the church's political influence | |
| To standardise parish sizes on the basis of geography and population | |
| To reduce the number of bishops and archbishops | |
| To make the clergy paid employees of the government | |
| To require all members of the clergy to swear an oath of loyalty to the nation | |
| To require bishops to swear an oath of loyalty | |
| To require clerics to be elected by the people | |
| To reduce the salaries of bishops | |
| To increase the salaries of parish priests | |
| To require bishops to reside within their respective dioceses |
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What You'll Learn
The French Revolution and the Catholic Church
The French Revolution (1789-1799) was a time of great upheaval for the Catholic Church in France. Before the Revolution, the Church was the largest landowner in the country, controlling vast properties and extracting massive revenues from its tenants. It also had considerable influence over the French monarchy and played a dominant role in the lives of its citizens. However, the Revolution brought about a series of events that significantly challenged the power and structure of the Church.
One of the earliest milestones of the French Revolution was the abolition of the privileges of the First and Second Estates on 4 August 1789, which included the abolition of tithes gathered by the Catholic clergy. In October 1789, the National Constituent Assembly seized Church properties and land, selling them to fund the assignat revolutionary currency. The Assembly also cancelled the Church's taxing power and declared that all Church property belonged to the nation.
In July 1790, the Assembly passed the Civil Constitution of the Clergy, which subordinated the Catholic Church in France to the French government. This law attempted to modernise the Church and realign it with the revolutionary values of social equality. It stipulated that clerics were to be elected by the people and paid by the state, effectively reducing them to employees of the state. The Constitution also limited the number of bishops to 83, matching the number of French departments, and required clerics to swear oaths of loyalty to the state and the forthcoming constitution.
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy proved highly divisive, turning many Catholics and clerics against the Revolution. The Pope, who had already viewed the Revolution unfavourably due to its refusal to acknowledge Catholicism as the official state religion, denounced the Constitution and asked King Louis XVI not to sanction it. The oath of loyalty required by the Constitution became a referendum on whether one's first loyalties were to Catholicism or to the Revolution, causing a schism among French Catholics. Those who took the oath became known as 'jurors', while those who refused were labelled 'non-jurors' or 'refractory priests'.
The revolutionary authorities took further steps to suppress the Church, including abolishing the Catholic monarchy, nationalising Church property, exiling and executing priests, and introducing new forms of moral religion such as the Cult of Reason and the Cult of the Supreme Being. They forbade processions, removed crucifixes and religious artifacts from churches, and replaced the Christian calendar and holy days with secular alternatives. These actions effectively de-Christianised France, ending religious worship and generating widespread hostility towards the Revolution.
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The National Constituent Assembly
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy was passed by the National Constituent Assembly on 12 July 1790. It was a law that caused the immediate subordination of the Catholic Church in France to the French government. The Assembly passed the law in an attempt to modernise the Church and realign it with the revolutionary values of the time.
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy was one of the Assembly's most controversial and divisive policies. It was designed to reorganise and regulate the Catholic Church in France, eliminate corruption and abuses within the Church, and limit its political influence. The Constitution reduced the number of bishops and archbishops, made the clergy paid employees of the government, and required all members of the clergy to swear an oath of loyalty to the nation.
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Clerics' oath of loyalty to the state
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy was a law passed in July 1790 during the French Revolution, which caused the immediate subordination of the Catholic Church in France to the French government. An attempt to modernise the Church and realign it with revolutionary values, the law proved highly divisive, turning many Catholics and clerics against the Revolution.
The Civil Constitution was meant to return the politicised institution of the Church to its original state, meaning the clergy would revert to being solely spiritual guardians. To do this, the Assembly made the Gallican Church subordinate to the French government. Title I of the Constitution dealt with the number of bishops, which was limited to 83 to match the number of French departments, and confirmed the abolition of monastic orders. Title II stipulated that all clerics were to be elected by the people, like any other public officials. No longer would the king or the pope make appointments to the clergy.
In November 1790, the Assembly made it compulsory for every member of the clergy, down to the lowest parish priests, to swear the oath. However, many were hesitant, preferring to hear the pope’s reaction before committing to anything. Most clerics denied the Civil Constitution and carried on their religious duties regardless of the Assembly’s decrees. Those who swore the oath were henceforth known as “juring priests”, while those who refused were called “non-juring” priests.
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The Church's political influence
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy was a law passed in July 1790 during the French Revolution (1789-1799). It was an attempt to reorganise, modernise, and regulate the Catholic Church in France, and to reduce its political influence. The law proved highly divisive, turning many Catholics and clerics against the Revolution.
The relationship between Enlightenment figures, the French Revolution, and the Catholic Church was always problematic. In the late 18th century, there was much criticism of organised religion and the First Estate. Writers like Voltaire condemned the church's excessive wealth and land ownership, its undue political influence, its endemic corruption, and the debauched conduct of some clergymen. Several critics of the Catholic Church were clergymen themselves, such as Emmanuel Sieyes, Charles de Talleyrand, and Henri Grégoire. At the Estates General in 1789, many of these dissenting clerics sided with the Third Estate and joined the National Assembly.
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy was meant to return the politicised institution of the Church to its original state, meaning the clergy would revert to being solely spiritual guardians. It caused the immediate subordination of the Catholic Church in France to the French government. The number of bishops was reduced from 135 to 83, matching the number of French departments, and confirmed the abolition of monastic orders. All clerics were to be elected by the people, like any other public officials. No longer would the king or the pope make appointments to the clergy. The salaries of clerics were now paid by the state, signifying that members of the clergy were employees of the government. All bishops were required to reside within their respective dioceses. Additionally, all clerics were obliged to swear oaths of loyalty to the state and to the forthcoming constitution.
Many clerics disagreed with the strict subordination of the church to the state and with the limitation of the pope's jurisdiction to spiritual affairs. This caused a schism within the French Church, with many devout Catholics turning against the Revolution. The relationship between the Church and the French Revolution was always a contentious issue, with the Revolution's attempts to modernise and realign the Church with revolutionary values causing a divide among Catholics and clerics.
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The Pope's condemnation
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy was passed in July 1790 during the French Revolution. It was an attempt to modernise the Church and realign it with revolutionary values. The law caused the immediate subordination of the Catholic Church in France to the French government.
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy was met with strong opposition from the Pope, who viewed the Revolution unfavourably even before the law was passed. Pope Pius VI, who was in power from 1775 to 1799, took issue with the fact that the Declaration of the Rights of Man refused to acknowledge Catholicism as the official state religion of France. Additionally, a pro-French party in the papal-controlled city of Avignon was gaining influence, threatening to annex the city.
As soon as Pope Pius VI heard about the Civil Constitution of the Clergy, he privately denounced it, writing to King Louis XVI in July 1790 to ask him not to sanction it. However, by then, it was too late, and the King had already agreed to sanction the document. The Pope's initial silence on the matter gave rise to a period of uncertainty within the clergy, with many clerics awaiting his decision before committing to taking the oath.
On 23 February 1791, Pope Pius VI officially condemned the revolutionary regime and repudiated all clergy who had complied with the oath, completing the schism. He declared that the oath was against the beliefs of the Church and divided the clergy into "juring" and "nonjuring" factions. The Pope's condemnation of the Civil Constitution of the Clergy hardened opposition among the local clergy, and many clerics who had previously equivocated now refused to take the oath.
The Pope's stance further exacerbated the schism within the French Church, creating a divide between clerics willing to swear loyalty to the nation and those who remained loyal to Rome.
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Frequently asked questions
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy was passed on July 12, 1790.
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy was a law passed during the French Revolution that caused the immediate subordination of the Catholic Church in France to the French government. It was an attempt to reorganise the Church, standardise parish sizes, reduce the number of bishops, and require all members of the clergy to swear an oath of loyalty to the nation.
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy was one of the most controversial and divisive policies of the new regime, causing a schism within the French Church and turning many Catholics and clerics against the Revolution. It also led to a full-blown civil war in 1793, with refractory priests accompanying the rebels.
