Church Reform

• Assembly wanted to create a new church that:

  • free from plurality
  • Free from Rome
• Changes:

  • Pluralism abolished
  • Church tax abolished
  • Nationalised Church property
  • Religious orders dissolved
  • State sold monastic wealth
• CIVIL CONSTITUTION OF THE CLERGY 12th July 1790:

  • Change church structure, more bishops
  • Bishops to be elected - people power
  • Split between clergy who took oath and who didn't
• De christianisation, National assembly aimed to remove Catholic faith - remove threat of counter revolution from clergy.
• December 1790 - Louis forced to accept Civil constitution of clergy.
• Priests that didn't swear the oath (163) had salaries stopped.
• Church was dominant in Europe, damaging to foreign relations.
• Priests could be deported from May 1792.