Decline of the Church and the Rise of Secularism
Before the French Revolution, the Catholic Church had been a powerful institution and presence in France. Catholicism was the official religion, and nearly all French were Catholic. As with nearly all institutions of the Ancien Regime, the Catholic Church was corrupt and inequitable. It owned ten percent of the land, making it the country’s single biggest landowner. It collected a ten percent tithe from the general population, which it hoarded for itself and seldom distributed to the needy. It was also exempt from taxation.
After centuries of corruption, abuse, and unearned privilege, the Church was held in low regard by the time revolution broke out in 1789. Particularly among the Revolution’s leaders, who wasted little time in reducing the Church’s power and influence. One of the earliest steps taken by the National Assembly in August of 1789 was to deprive the Church of its authority to tithe. Soon thereafter, the Church’s vast holdings were nationalized, placed “at the disposal of the nation“, and used to back a new currency. Having taken over the Church’s property, the Revolutionary government assumed the Church’s responsibilities of taking care of the poor, orphaned, and sick – which duties the Church had neglected. Legislation was passed abolishing monastic vows, and in early 1790, all religious orders were dissolved.
In the summer of 1790, the government assumed responsibility for paying the clergy’s salaries, turning them into government employees. A system was set up to elect priests and bishops, which created a backlash because it interfered with the authority of the Pope over the French Church. The Revolutionary government did not back down, however, and in late 1790, required an oath of loyalty from all remaining clergy. Most clergy refused, leading to a schism, and even armed uprisings in defense of the Church, which were ruthlessly put down.
The Revolution’s crackdown on the Church reached its height in the Reign of Terror, during which thousands of priests were jailed or massacred, while churches and religious images were destroyed across France. A short-lived “Cult of Reason” was introduced in an effort to replace Christianity, but widespread opposition forced even the radicals to beat a partial retreat. In 1801, Napoleon reached a Concordat with the Church, which normalized and regulated relations between the Catholic Church and France. By then, however, secularism had taken hold, and the Church never came close to regaining the power and influence it had wielded before the French Revolution. The Concordat signed with Napoleon remained in force until 1905, when France finally legislated a complete separation between Church and state.