Omar Bennett
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy was a law passed in July 1790 during the French Revolution, which led to the subordination of the Catholic Church in France to the French government. The law was highly controversial and divisive, causing a split in the church between those who supported the revolution and those who did not. The Constitution included a clause that required clergy to take an oath of allegiance to France, which many priests believed conflicted with their loyalty to God and the Pope. Pope Pius VI, who was the pope during this time, initially remained silent on the matter but later privately and publicly denounced the Civil Constitution, writing to King Louis XVI to ask him not to sanction it. Pius VI's condemnation of the Constitution and the French Revolution hardened opposition among the local clergy, and by the spring of 1791, the Catholic Church in France was divided between clerics who swore loyalty to the nation and those who remained loyal to Rome.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name | Pope Pius VI |
| Rule | 1775-1799 |
| Position on the Civil Constitution of the Clergy | Opposed |
| Position on the French Revolution | Opposed |
| Position on Clergy Taking the Oath | Opposed |
| Position on Clergy's Authority Over Appointments | Supported |
| Position on Clergy's Loyalty to the King | Supported |
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What You'll Learn
Pope Pius VI's opposition
Pope Pius VI was the Pope during the Civil Constitution of the Clergy. The Civil Constitution of the Clergy was a law passed in July 1790 during the French Revolution (1789-1799). It was an attempt to modernize the Church and realign it with revolutionary values, but it proved highly divisive, turning many Catholics and clerics against the Revolution.
Pope Pius VI was opposed to the Civil Constitution of the Clergy from the start. As soon as word of the Civil Constitution reached him, he privately denounced it, writing to King Louis XVI in July 1790 to ask him not to sanction it. In his letter, Pius VI indicated to the king that the Church could not accept any of the provisions of the Constitution and that it could not tolerate a national legislature dictating its internal organization.
Despite Pius VI's pleas, Louis XVI, a devoutly Catholic monarch, reluctantly agreed to sanction the document in August 1790 to avoid a schism within his kingdom. In November 1790, the National Assembly made it compulsory for the clergy to take an oath of loyalty to the Constitution, putting priests in the difficult position of having to choose between accepting the Constitution or losing their parishes.
Pope Pius VI's rejection of the possibility of clergy withholding "mental assent" when taking the oath further guaranteed a schism. His subsequent condemnation of the revolutionary regime and repudiation of all clergy who had complied with the oath completed the schism. In March 1791, Pope Pius VI publicly condemned the Constitution and the French Revolution, claiming the Revolution was making war on the Catholic Church. He also chastised King Louis XVI for assenting to it.
The Pope's opposition to the Civil Constitution of the Clergy and his condemnation of those who took the oath divided the church into "juring" and "nonjuring" clergy. This completed the schism within the French Church and further alienated devout Catholics from the Revolution.
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The reduction of bishops
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. The law aimed to reorganise and regulate the Church, eliminate corruption and abuses, and limit the church's political influence. It was highly divisive, turning many Catholics and clerics against the Revolution.
The Civil Constitution reduced the number of bishops from 135 to 83, with one bishop per department. Bishops were now known as constitutional bishops, and they were elected locally, rather than appointed by the Vatican or the Pope. This was a significant shift in power dynamics, as the authority of the Pope over the appointment of clergy was reduced to the right to be informed of election results.
The new law also stipulated that electors had to sign a loyalty oath to the constitution, and there was no requirement for these electors to be Catholic. This meant that, ironically, Protestants and Jews could help elect Catholic bishops and priests. The proportion of Protestants and Jews in the French population was, however, very small.
The Constitution also regulated the dioceses, making them more uniform and aligned with the administrative districts recently created. This emphasised that officials of the Church could not give their loyalty to anyone outside the First French Republic, specifically the Papacy.
The reduction in the number of bishops and their election by local assemblies, rather than the Church hierarchy, were both significant changes that contributed to the subordination of the Church to the state. This strict subordination, along with the limitation of the Pope's jurisdiction to spiritual affairs, provoked much opposition from clerics.
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The clergy's oath of loyalty
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy, passed in July 1790, was a highly divisive law that subordinated the Catholic Church in France to the French government. It was an attempt to modernise the Church and align it with the values of the Revolution. The Constitution reduced the number of bishops, made the clergy paid employees of the government, and required all members of the clergy to swear an oath of loyalty to the nation.
The oath, also known as the Obligatory Oath, was very controversial. It required priests to publicly declare whether they believed the French state or the Pope had supreme authority in ecclesiastical matters. 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 the French government, which at the time still included the King.
During the debate on the matter, Cardinal de Lomenie wrote a letter claiming that the clergy could be excused from taking the Oath if they lacked mental assent. This stance was rejected by Pope Pius VI on 23 February 1791. The Pope's subsequent condemnation of the revolutionary regime and repudiation of all clergy who had complied with the oath created a schism within the Church in France.
When oath-taking began in early 1791, only 55% of priests agreed to swear their loyalty to the newly reformed 'state religion'. This group became known as "juring priests" or the constitutional clergy. The remainder, who became known as "non-jurors" or "refractory priests", were considered enemies of the state and faced harsh measures from the government.
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy marked an attempt by the National Assembly to align the Church with the revolution and to create a state religion that acted in the national interest. However, it ended up dividing the country even further, with a split between those who supported the Constitution and those who remained loyal to Rome.
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The church-state relationship
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy was a law passed on July 12, 1790, during the French Revolution. It aimed to bring about the complete control of the Catholic Church in France by the French government. This law resulted in a schism, with a clandestine French Catholic Church loyal to the Papacy, and a "constitutional church" subservient to the state.
The law was passed by the National Constituent Assembly, which had already confiscated church lands and abolished the collection of tithes. The Civil Constitution of the Clergy further reduced the number of bishops from 135 to 83, with each diocese corresponding to a département. Bishops and priests were to be elected by enfranchised citizens, and their salaries were to be paid by the state. This was a significant change, as it meant that members of the clergy were now employees of the state. The Constitution also required that bishops reside within their respective dioceses, which was a change from the pre-revolutionary practice of many absentee bishops.
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy also included a controversial oath of loyalty. Clergy members were required to swear allegiance to France and the state, which many priests believed conflicted with their loyalty to God and the Pope. This oath caused a split in the church, with those who took the oath known as 'juring priests' or 'constitutional clergy', and those who refused known as 'non-juring' or 'refractory priests'.
Pope Pius VI, who was pope during the Civil Constitution of the Clergy, initially remained silent on the matter. However, he privately denounced the Constitution and wrote to King Louis XVI in July 1790, asking him not to sanction it. In March 1791, Pope Pius VI publicly condemned the Constitution and the French Revolution, claiming that the Revolution was making war on the Catholic Church and that the King had only sanctioned the Constitution under duress. This response caused alarm among many French clerics, and the schism was not fully resolved until 1801.
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The schism in the church
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy was a law passed on 12 July 1790 during the French Revolution, that sought the complete control over the Catholic Church in France by the French government. The law was highly divisive, turning many Catholics and clerics against the Revolution. It was an attempt to modernize the Church and realign it with revolutionary values.
The Constitution reduced the number of bishops from 135 to 83, with each diocese corresponding to a French department. Bishops and priests were to be elected locally, and their salaries were to be paid by the state. The authority of the Pope over the appointment of clergy was reduced to the right to be informed of election results. The Constitution also included a controversial clause that required the clergy to take an oath of loyalty to the French state, which many priests believed conflicted with their loyalty to God and the Pope.
The Pope, Pius VI, initially remained silent on the Civil Constitution, but in March 1791, he publicly condemned it, claiming that the Revolution was making war on the Catholic Church. This response alarmed many French clerics, and the church in France became split between those who supported the Constitution (jurors) and those who did not (nonjurors). The Pope's condemnation of the revolutionary regime and repudiation of the clergy who had complied with the oath completed the schism in the church.
The schism between the civilly constituted French Church and the Papacy was only resolved in 1801 with the Concordat, negotiated by Napoleon Bonaparte. This agreement legitimised and terminated the confiscations and church reforms that had been implemented during the Revolution, and gave the French government some rights over the nomination of bishops and the reorganisation of parishes.
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Frequently asked questions
Pope Pius VI.
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy was a law passed during the French Revolution that attempted to make the Catholic Church in France subordinate to the French government.
Pope Pius VI condemned the Civil Constitution of the Clergy and claimed that Louis XVI had only signed it under duress. He also declared that constitutional bishops and priests would be suspended from office unless they renounced the oath.
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy caused a schism within the Catholic Church in France, dividing the clergy into those willing to swear loyalty to the nation (known as "juring priests" or "constitutional clergy") and those who remained loyal to Rome and the Pope (known as "non-juring" or "refractory priests").
