Omar Bennett
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy was a law passed on July 12, 1790, during the French Revolution, that sought to exert control over the Catholic Church in France by the French government. It caused a schism within the French Church, creating an illegal underground Catholic Church loyal to the Papacy, and a constitutional church subservient to the state. The main features of the Civil Constitution of the Clergy included reducing the number of bishops, having each diocese correspond to a department, electing bishops and parish priests by popular vote, and paying clergy wages. This law faced opposition from many clerics and devout Catholics, who disagreed with the strict subordination of the church to the state and the limitation of the pope's jurisdiction. The National Constituent Assembly's requirement for clergy to take an oath of loyalty to the nation's constitution further divided the church, with nonjurors (refractory priests) and jurors (constitutional priests) emerging. The Pope's eventual condemnation of the Civil Constitution in 1791 hardened opposition, and the schism was not fully resolved until 1801 under Napoleon's rule.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of Bishops | Reduced from 135 to 83 |
| Diocese | Each diocese corresponds to a département |
| Election of Bishops and Priests | Bishops and priests were elected by enfranchised citizens |
| Clergy's Wages | Paid by the state |
| Clergy's Loyalty | Required to swear an oath of loyalty to the state |
| Clergy's Independence | Lost their independence as they were now subject to the state |
| Pope's Jurisdiction | Limited to spiritual affairs |
| Clergy's Housing | Each bishop, priest, and officiating clergyman were furnished with a suitable dwelling |
| Clergy's Salary | Salaries were assigned to each bishop and priest |
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What You'll Learn
The Pope's opposition
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 was highly divisive, turning many Catholics and clerics against the Revolution. The Pope's opposition to the Civil Constitution was strong and multi-faceted.
Firstly, the Pope was against the law's strict subordination of the church to the state. The Civil Constitution reduced the authority of the Pope over the appointment of clergy and limited his jurisdiction to spiritual affairs. The Pope's role in the appointment process was reduced to the right to be informed of election results. This was a significant change, as previously, the Pope had the power to appoint clergy directly. The law also required bishops and priests to be elected locally, with no requirement for electors to be Catholic. This meant that Protestants and Jews could help elect Catholic priests and bishops, which was highly controversial.
Secondly, the Pope objected to the oath of loyalty that clerics were required to swear under the Civil Constitution. In November 1790, the Assembly made it compulsory for every member of the clergy to swear an oath of loyalty to the nation, the law, and the king, and to support the constitution decreed by the National Assembly. This put clerics in a difficult position, as swearing loyalty to the state could be seen as conflicting with their duties to the Pope and to God. The Pope called on all clergy to renounce their oaths, and as a result, only about 54% of priests ever took the oath.
Thirdly, the Pope was concerned about the impact of the Civil Constitution on the church's property and finances. The law completed the destruction of the monastic orders, outlawing "all regular and secular chapters for either sex, abbacies and priorships, both regular and in commendam, for either sex". It also nationalized church property and banned monastic vows, removing a significant source of revenue for the church. The clergy became state employees, taking a wage from the state instead of the church.
Finally, the Pope was worried about the revolutionary and secularist nature of the Civil Constitution. He believed that the church could not accept any of the provisions of the Constitution and that a national legislature should not dictate the internal organization of the church. The Pope saw the Civil Constitution as an attack on the Catholic religion and the court of Rome, and he condemned it as such.
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Schism in French society
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 Catholic Church in France and bring it under the control of the French government. The law was highly divisive and caused a schism in French society, with some accepting the new order and others refusing to do so.
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy 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, rather than appointed by the Church hierarchy, and they were to be paid by the state. This effectively made them employees of the state and reduced their independence. The authority of the Pope over the appointment of clergy was limited to the right to be informed of election results, and the Church was strictly subordinated to the state.
The new law required all clergy, including bishops and parish priests, to swear an oath of loyalty to the nation, the law, and the king, and to support the constitution decreed by the National Constituent Assembly. This oath was controversial, as many clerics felt that swearing loyalty to the state might conflict with their duties to the Pope or to God. Only about half of the parish priests took the oath, and only seven bishops. Those who took the oath became known as 'juring priests' or 'constitutional clergy', while those who refused were dubbed 'non-juring' or 'refractory priests'.
The schism in French society caused by the Civil Constitution of the Clergy cannot be underestimated. In rural areas, particularly the Vendée, people saw the imposition of priests as further evidence of an overly centralised government that had no interest in life outside of Paris. This led to open revolt, with people embracing monarchism and traditional Catholicism. The Pope's eventual condemnation of the Civil Constitution in the spring of 1791 hardened opposition among the local clergy, and the schism was not fully resolved until 1801 under Napoleon's rule.
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Subordination of the Church to the State
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 proved highly divisive, turning many Catholics and clerics against the Revolution.
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy was an attempt to exert complete control over the Catholic Church in France by the French government. It caused a schism within the French Church, resulting in an illegal and underground French Catholic Church loyal to the Papacy, and a "constitutional church" that was subservient to the State.
The main features of the proposed 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 enfranchised citizens elect bishops and parish priests, and to have the state pay the clergy's wages. The authority of the Pope over the appointment of clergy was reduced to the right to be informed of election results. Bishops and priests were required to swear an oath of loyalty to the nation, the law, and the king, and to support the constitution decreed by the National Assembly.
The subordination of the church to the state was not a new concept. Since the reign of Louis XIV, newly consecrated bishops were required to attend services at Versailles and swear an oath of loyalty to the king. However, the Civil Constitution of the Clergy took this a step further by requiring bishops to swear loyalty to the nation and the law as well. This caused a dilemma for many priests, as accepting the Civil Constitution would mean going against the Pope, who had condemned it.
The schism caused by the Civil Constitution of the Clergy was not fully resolved until 1801, when Napoleon came to power and ended it with the Concordat of 1801.
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Loyalty oaths
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. It caused a schism within the French Church and made many devout Catholics turn against the Revolution.
The Constitution included several provisions that conflicted with the traditional authority of the Church and the Pope. One of these provisions was the requirement for bishops and other clergy to swear an oath of loyalty to the nation, the law, and the king, and to support the constitution decreed by the National Assembly. This oath was not just a symbolic gesture, but a concrete way of ensuring the clergy's submission to the state.
The loyalty oaths caused significant controversy and divided the clergy. On one hand, some priests and bishops took the oath, becoming known as 'juring priests' or 'constitutional clergy'. They accepted the state's authority over the Church and were willing to declare their loyalty to the nation and the revolutionary government. On the other hand, many clerics refused to take the oath, becoming known as 'non-juring' or 'refractory priests'. They remained loyal to the Pope and the traditional Church hierarchy, even at the risk of losing their parishes and facing persecution as enemies of the state.
The Pope, Pius VI, strongly opposed the Civil Constitution of the Clergy and encouraged clergy to renounce their oaths. He wrote to King Louis XVI, expressing his disapproval and arguing that the Church could not accept the Constitution's provisions. The Pope's stance influenced many clerics, who waited for his reaction before deciding whether to take the oath. The conflict over the loyalty oaths contributed to the schism within the French Church, with some priests and bishops choosing to defy the state and maintain their allegiance to the Pope.
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy's loyalty oaths were a significant factor in the conflict between the Church and the revolutionary government during the French Revolution. The oaths represented the state's attempt to assert control over the Church and the clergy's divided loyalties between the nation and the Pope. The controversy surrounding the oaths highlights the complex dynamics of church-state relations during this tumultuous period in French history.
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Clerical opposition
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy was a law passed in July 1790 during the French Revolution. It was an attempt to reorganise the Catholic Church in France and bring it under the control of the state. The law was highly divisive and provoked opposition from many clerics and devout Catholics.
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy faced significant opposition from clerics and devout Catholics, who disagreed with its strict subordination of the church to the state and the limitation of the pope's jurisdiction to spiritual affairs. The law required all clergy, including bishops and parish priests, to swear an oath of loyalty to the nation and the constitution, which many saw as conflicting with their duties to the pope and God.
The pope, Pius VI, also opposed the Civil Constitution and privately denounced it, writing to King Louis XVI to ask him not to sanction it. In March 1791, the pope issued a public condemnation of the law, stating that it was an attack on the Catholic religion and that Louis XVI had only signed it under duress. This hardened opposition among the local clergy, with many clerics who had previously equivocated now refusing to take the oath.
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy reduced the number of bishops from 135 to 83 and made them elected officials, with each diocese corresponding to a département. This meant that bishops and priests were now subject to the state, as they were elected by their parishioners rather than appointed by the Church hierarchy. The authority of the pope in appointing clergy was reduced, and he only retained the right to be informed of election results.
The law also emphasised that officials of the Church could not give their loyalty to anyone outside the First French Republic, specifically including the Papacy. This created a schism within the French Church, with 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.
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy was part of a series of laws passed during the French Revolution that affected the privileged position of the clergy. These laws included the confiscation of church lands, the abolition of tithes, and the banning of monastic vows. By making the clergy state employees, the Revolution sought to modernise the Church and realign it with revolutionary values, turning many Catholics and clerics against the Revolution.
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Frequently asked questions
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy was not liberal because it was an attempt by the French government to exert complete control over the Catholic Church in France. This was done by reducing the number of bishops, making them state employees, and requiring them to swear an oath of loyalty to the state.
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy caused a schism within the French Church and created a divide between the clergy and the state. It led to the formation of an illegal and underground French Catholic Church loyal to the Papacy, and a "constitutional church" that was subservient to the state.
The Pope, Pius VI, opposed the Civil Constitution of the Clergy and asked King Louis XVI not to sanction it. He wrote to the King, expressing that the Church could not accept any of the provisions of the Constitution and that it was an attack on the internal organization of the Church. The Pope's opposition to the Civil Constitution hardened the opposition among the local clergy, and he called on all clergy to renounce their oaths.
