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.

Jurors and non-jurors

As noted above, the government required all clergy to swear an oath of loyalty to the Civil Constitution of the Clergy. Only seven bishops and about half the clergy agreed: the rest, mainly in western France, refused; these became known as "non-jurors" or "refractory priests".

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Most of these refractory priests lived in the countryside, and the Civil Constitution generated considerable resentment among religious peasants.

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Meanwhile, the Pope had repudiated the "jurors" who had signed the oath, especially bishops who had ordained new, elected clergy, an above all for Bishop Alois Alexandre Expilly.

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In May 1791, France recalled its ambassador to the Vatican and the papal nuncio was recalled from Paris. On June 9, the Assembly forbade the publication of Papal Bulls or Decrees, unless they had been approved by the Assembly as well.

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The Constituent Assembly went back and forth on the exact status of non-juring priests. On February 5, 1791, non-juring priests were banned from preaching in public. However, they continued to perform masses and attract crowds; meanwhile; the more extreme anti-clerical elements responded with violence against those who attended these masses and against nuns who would not renounce their vocation. (Loyal Catholics perpetrated similar violence against the "constitutional" priests.) On May 7, 1791, the Assembly reversed itself, deciding that the non-juring priests, referred to as prêtres habitués ("habitual priests") could say Mass and conduct services in other churches on condition that they would respect the laws and not stir up revolt against the Civil Constitution. However, violence on all sides continued, and on November 29,1791, the Legislative Assembly, which had replaced the National Constituent Assembly, decreed that the refractory priests be arrested. Anti-Catholic persecution by the State would intensify into de-Christianization and state support for the Cult of Reason in 1793-1794.

Related Topics:
February 5 - November 29 - 1791 - Legislative Assembly - Christianization - Cult of Reason

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