Which group resisted the Civil Constitution of the Clergy by refusing to swear loyalty to the nation?

• A. The clergy and devout Catholics.
• B. The National Assembly.
• C. The king and his supporters.
• D. The foreign powers allied with France.

Answer: (C)

The key idea is this: the Civil Constitution of the Clergy tried to place the church under the revolutionary state and required clergy to swear loyalty to the nation. Those who refused the oath were the clergy who remained loyal to the pope—often called refractory or non-juring priests—and they were supported by devout Catholics who opposed state control over church affairs. Their resistance was a direct act of refusing to accept allegiance to the nation as defined by the revolutionary government. The king and his supporters opposed the move politically, but the specific act of refusing to swear the oath came from the clergy and many devout Catholics who stood for papal authority over state authority.