Who negotiated the Concordat of 1801 between France and Pope Pius VII?
Napoleon Bonaparte appointed Joseph Bonaparte, Emmanuel Crétet, and Étienne-Alexandre Bernier to represent France while Cardinal Ercole Consalvi and Cardinal Giuseppe Spina represented the Holy See. Father Carlo Francesco Maria Caselli served as theological adviser for the papacy during these negotiations.
When did Napoleon sign the Concordat of 1801 with Pope Pius VII?
The agreement was finalized in 1801 following negotiations that excluded all French bishops from the process. The Organic Articles were subsequently promulgated on April 1802 to enforce state control over church matters.
What happened to Catholic Church lands seized during the French Revolution under the Concordat of 1801?
The vast Church lands seized during the Revolution were not restored to the church after the agreement. The nationalized Gallican Church remained essentially Catholic but lost its property holdings permanently.
Why did Napoleon Bonaparte create the Concordat of 1801 with Pope Pius VII?
Napoleon took a utilitarian approach to religion to win favor with French Catholics while controlling Rome politically. He resolved hostility between devout French Catholics and the revolutionary state by tilting the balance of church-state relations toward his advantage.
Where does the Concordat of 1801 remain in effect today within France?
Some provisions remain in effect within the Alsace, Lorraine region because the area was controlled by the German Empire when the law of 1905 passed. Local law of Alsace, Moselle preserves certain concordat elements for that territory while it was abolished elsewhere in France.