How did the French Revolution weaken the power of the Roman Catholic Church?

The French Revolution significantly weakened the power of the Roman Catholic Church by dismantling its political, financial, and administrative autonomy, effectively subordinating it to the state.12

Key actions taken by the Revolutionary government included:

• Confiscation of Property: The National Assembly abolished the collection of tithes and seized church lands—which comprised about 10 percent of French territory—to serve as biens nationaux (national lands) to address the national debt.13
• Civil Constitution of the Clergy (1790): This legislation reorganized the church on a national basis, reducing the number of dioceses and aligning them with new administrative départements. It mandated that bishops and priests be elected by citizens, effectively shifting authority from the church hierarchy to the state and the laity.14
• Clerical Oath: The government required all clergy to take an oath of submission to the state. This forced a deep schism between "constitutional" priests who complied and "refractory" priests who refused, leading to harsh state measures against the latter.14
• Loss of Papal Authority: The Revolution restricted the pope’s jurisdiction to spiritual matters, culminating in the 1798 expulsion of Pope Pius VI from Rome and his subsequent death in captivity.12