Civil Constitution of the Clergy

The law of the Civil Constitution of the Clergy (Fr. "Constitution civile du clergé"), passed July 12, 1790 during the French Revolution, subordinated the Roman Catholic Church in France to the French government.

Delay in implementation

For some time, Louis XVI delayed signing the Civil Constitution, saying that he needed "official word from Rome" before doing so. Pope Pius VI broke the logjam July 9, 1790, writing a letter to Louis rejecting the arrangement. On July 28, September 6, and December 16, 1790, Louis XVI wrote letters to Pius VI, complaining that the National Assembly was forcing him to publicly accept the Civil Constitution, and suggesting that Pius VI appease them by accepting a few selected articles too. On August 17, Pius VI wrote to Louis XVI of his intent to consult with the cardinals about this, but on October 10 Cardinal Rochefoucauld, the Archbishop of Aix, and 30 of France's 131 bishops sent their negative evaluation of the main points of the Civil Constitution to the pope. Only four bishops actively dissented. On October 30, the same 30 bishops restated their view to the public, signing a document known as the Exposition of Principles ("Exposition des principes sur la constitution civile du clergé"), written by Jean de Dieu-Raymond de Cucé de Boisgelin

Related Topics:
July 9 - 1790 - October 10 - October 30 - Exposition of Principles - Jean de Dieu-Raymond de Cucé de Boisgelin

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On November 27, 1790, still lacking the king's signature on the law of the Civil Constitution, the National Assembly voted to require the clergy to sign an oath of loyalty to the Constitution. During the debate on that matter, on November 25, Cardinal de Lomenie wrote a letter claiming that the clergy could be excused for taking the Oath if they lacked mental assent; that stance was to be rejected by the pope February 23, 1791. On December 26, 1790, Louis XVI finally granted his public assent to the Civil Constitution, allowing the process of administering the oaths to proceed in January and February 1791.

Related Topics:
November 27 - November 25 - Cardinal de Lomenie - February 23 - 1791 - December 26

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Pope Pius VI's February 23 rejection of Cardinal de Lomenie's position of withholding "mental assent" guaranteed that this would become a schism. The pope's subsequent condemnation of the revolutionary regime and repudiation of all clergy who had complied with the oath completed the schism.

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