Then, in March and April, Pope Pius VI officially condemned both the principles of the revolution and the Civil Constitution of the Clergy, and “in an act of incalculable importance the Church of Rome opposed its doctrine to the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen.”16 Those inclined toward counterrevolutionary activity were greatly heartened by the Church’s stance. Against this background, Louis XVI absconded for Varennes disguised as a valet. In a state of shocked alarm at the king’s attempted escape, the National Assembly mandated a complete halt to departures from the kingdom and
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