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The Civil Constitution of the Clergy

In July 1790, the French Constituent Assembly introduced the Civil Constitution of the Clergy in order to revitalise the Church and bring it into concord with the principles of the Revolution. Fifty-four percent of the clergy felt unable to swear the oath to Nation, King, Law and Constitution, opining that this would contradict Papal authority and thus this legislation forced French citizens to choose between the new, revolutionary order and their Catholic faith. The Church became a focus for counter-revolution while the issue spelt an end for revolutionary consensus as refractory priests were supported across class boundaries.
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When the Estates-General was called for 1789, the clergy were enthusiastic about their future prospects, something demonstrated by the Abbé Fauchet's announcement in May of that year that "The moment of regeneration has arrived!" However, as a result of the Civil Constitution of the Clergy in July 1790, a measure designed to free the church "from foreign (papal) control", divisions developed between juring and refractory priests, respectively those who did and did not swear the oath.

Although some of the ecclesiastical representatives in the Constituent Assembly were high-ranking bishops, there were, by necessity of numbers, many priests ...

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