Simone Lawson
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 and bring it under the control of the French government. The law was passed by the National Assembly and sanctioned by King Louis XVI, but it proved highly divisive, causing a schism within the French Church and turning many Catholics and clerics against the Revolution. The Civil Constitution of the Clergy sought to regulate dioceses, make bishops and priests elected officials, and emphasise their loyalty to the First French Republic rather than the Papacy. It also addressed the payment of clergy salaries by the state.
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What You'll Learn
The French Revolution and the Civil Constitution of the Clergy
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy was a law passed on 12 July 1790 during the French Revolution (1789-1799). It was an attempt to reorganize the Roman Catholic Church in France on a national basis and bring it in line with the revolutionary values. The law sought to bring the Church under the complete control of the French government, thereby creating a schism within the French Church.
The main features of the Civil Constitution of the Clergy were to reduce the number of bishops from 135 to 83, to have each diocese correspond to a département, to have bishops and priests elected by enfranchised citizens, and to have the state pay the clergy's wages. The Constitution also regulated the current dioceses so that they could become more uniform and aligned with the administrative districts that had been recently created. It emphasised that officials of the Church could not give their loyalty to anyone outside the First French Republic, specifically the Papacy.
The law was extremely divisive and proved to be a turning point in the French Revolution, with many Catholics and clerics turning against the Revolution. It caused a split in the church between the nonjurors (refractory priests) and the jurors (constitutional priests). The nonjurors were declared enemies of the state and were subject to harsh measures, although they were supported by the people in some areas, especially in western France.
The schism created by the Civil Constitution of the Clergy was not fully resolved until 1801, under Napoleon's rule with the Concordat of 1801.
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The National Assembly and the Constitution
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy was a law passed on July 12, 1790, during the French Revolution. It was enacted by the National Assembly, the governing body of the Revolution, in an attempt to reorganize the Roman Catholic Church in France and bring it under the control of the state.
The National Assembly was the governing body of the French Revolution, formed in 1789. It was made up of representatives from the three estates (the clergy, the nobility, and the common people) and was tasked with creating a new constitution for France. The Assembly was deeply critical of the Catholic Church, viewing it as a bastion of the old regime and a barrier to social equality. As such, it passed legislation confiscating Church lands, abolishing tithes, and banning monastic vows.
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy was the culmination of these efforts to subordinate the Church to the state. It reduced the number of bishops from 135 to 83, with each diocese corresponding to a new administrative unit called a "département". Bishops and priests were to be elected, locally, rather than appointed by the Church hierarchy, and they were required to swear an oath of loyalty to the state and the forthcoming constitution. This proved highly divisive, as almost all bishops and over half of the lower clergy refused to take the oath, leading to a schism in the Church.
The National Assembly's constitution-making process was marked by significant political upheaval and violence. The Assembly itself was replaced by the Legislative Assembly in 1791, and the monarchy fell in the same year after King Louis XVI vetoed a decree concerning the creation of an army. The Revolution's anti-religious sentiment led to the persecution of nonjuring priests, with 191 Roman Catholics killed in the September Massacres of 1792. The schism in the Church was only resolved under Napoleon's rule in 1801.
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The Pope's opposition to the Constitution
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. This law proved to be highly divisive, causing a schism within the French Church and turning many Catholics and clerics against the Revolution.
The Pope's opposition to the Civil Constitution of the Clergy was a significant factor in the conflict surrounding its enactment. Pope Pius VI, who already viewed the Revolution unfavourably, privately denounced the Civil Constitution as soon as he learned of it. He wrote to King Louis XVI in July 1790, urging him not to sanction the law. However, the King formally sanctioned the Constitution on 24 August 1790.
The Pope's opposition was based on the strict subordination of the Church to the state and the limitation of the Pope's jurisdiction to spiritual affairs. The Civil Constitution made bishops and priests elected officials, with no requirement for electors to be Catholic. This reduced the Pope's authority over the appointment of clergy to being merely informed of election results. Additionally, the Constitution required all clerics to swear oaths of loyalty to the state and the forthcoming constitution, creating a potential conflict with their oaths of loyalty to God and the Pope.
In the spring of 1791, Pope Pius VI publicly condemned the Civil Constitution, declaring that constitutional bishops and priests would be suspended from office unless they renounced their oaths. This hardened the opposition among the local clergy, with many clerics refusing to take the oath or renouncing it in line with the Pope's orders. The Catholic Church in France became divided between clerics willing to swear loyalty to the nation and those who remained loyal to Rome.
The Pope's opposition to the Civil Constitution of the Clergy, along with the resistance from clerics and devout Catholics, contributed to the schism within the French Church and fuelled opposition to the Revolution.
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The schism caused by the Constitution
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy was passed on 12 July 1790 during the French Revolution. It was an attempt to reorganise the Roman Catholic Church in France and align it with the revolution's values. The law proved to be highly divisive, causing a schism within the French Church and turning many devout Catholics and clerics against the Revolution.
The Constitution sought to settle the chaos caused by the earlier confiscation of Church lands and the abolition of tithes. It emphasised that officials of the Church could not give their loyalty to anyone outside the First French Republic, specifically the Papacy. It also made bishops and priests elected, with members of the clergy now subject to the State as their parishioners would vote on the priest and bishops, rather than these individuals being appointed by the Church hierarchy.
The law was extremely divisive and proved to be a turning point in the French Revolution. Historian Hilaire Belloc described it as a failure that "lit the civil war". The Constitution had four titles with different articles. Title I focused on the dioceses and how they were to be administered, reducing the number of bishops from 135 to 83, with one bishop per department. Title II focused on the administration of the dioceses and how elections were to take place, stipulating that all clerics were to be elected by the people, like any other public officials. Title III dealt with the payment of clerics, signifying that members of the clergy were now salaried employees of the State. Title IV focused on the living requirements for bishops, parish priests, and the curates, requiring all bishops to reside within their respective dioceses.
The schism caused by the Civil Constitution of the Clergy resulted in 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, when the Concordat was agreed upon. The Concordat was reached on 15 July 1801, and it was made widely known the following Easter. It was negotiated by Napoleon Bonaparte, then First Consul, and representatives of the Papacy and the nonjuring clergy. The agreement legitimised and terminated the confiscations and church reforms that had been implemented during the Revolution.
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The aftermath of the Civil Constitution
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy was passed on July 12, 1790, during the French Revolution. It sought to bring the Catholic Church in France under the control of the French government, creating a "constitutional church" subservient to the state. This law caused a schism within the French Church, resulting in an illegal underground Catholic Church loyal to the Papacy, and the constitutional church.
The Pope's opposition to the Civil Constitution added fuel to the fire. Pope Pius VI condemned the law in 1791, and the Revolutionary governments took harsh measures against the nonjuring clergy. This conflict escalated further with the killing of 191 Roman Catholics, including priests, monks, and nuns, in the September Massacres of 1792.
The schism and conflict continued until 1801, when it was resolved under Napoleon's rule with the Concordat of 1801. The Civil Constitution of the Clergy was repealed, and the Church and state reached an agreement to end the crisis. However, the aftermath of the Civil Constitution had far-reaching impacts, contributing to the anti-religious sentiments of the French Revolution and shaping the relationship between Church and state in France.
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy was a significant event in the French Revolution, and its aftermath highlighted the tensions between religious and revolutionary ideals. The attempt to subordinate the Church to the state led to a period of conflict and division in France, with long-lasting repercussions for the role of religion in French society.
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Frequently asked questions
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy was passed by the Assembly with a large majority on 12 July 1790. It was formally sanctioned by King Louis XVI on 24 August 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 on a national basis, regulate dioceses, and align the Church with revolutionary values.
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy caused a schism within the French Church, with many devout Catholics and clerics turning against the Revolution. It also resulted in the creation of an illegal and underground French Catholic Church loyal to the Papacy, and a "constitutional church" that was subservient to the State. The schism was not fully resolved until 1801, under Napoleon's rule.
