Tension between the Catholic Church and France increased during the French Revolution, leading to a schism that profoundly devastated the Church's economy. Pope Pius VII and Napoleon Bonaparte came to power as the French Revolution was ending. For different reasons both saw the importance of restoring the position of Roman Catholicism in France. The Catholic Church's initial support for Napoleon greatly influenced both parties (O'Dwyer 12-14, 43, 49). This statement led me to ask the following question: to what extent did Napoleon's support affect the Church's role as a political and economic power in France? In this article I will argue against the traditional view that Napoleon's contract with the Catholic Church was solely beneficial to himself and was to the detriment of the power of the Papacy. Instead, I will argue that the Church's support for Napoleon helped the Papacy regain the power it once had and was more economically beneficial than Napoleon's brief political gain. This article is significant because it challenges traditional views of the relationship between Napoleon and the Catholic Church and, on a larger scale, analyzes the effects that revolution can have on religion, politics and society. I will first discuss the underlying historical context that establishes the issues presented, then explore the traditional view, and then attempt to revisit this topic. Before the French Revolution, the Catholic Church had an extremely strong presence in France. The Church had a high percentage of the population as followers and owned vast land holdings. However, as the revolution became more powerful, the social, political and religious foundations of the old regime were shaken. The National Assembly, founding group of France...... middle of paper...... The Papacy since 1500: From Italian Prince to Universal Pastor. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2010. Print.Ellis, Geoffrey James. The Napoleonic empire. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan, 2003. Print.Hales, EEY The Emperor and the Pope: The Story of Napoleon and Pius VII. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1961. Print.Holtman, Robert B. “The Catholic Church in Napoleon's Propaganda Organization.” The Catholic Historical Review 35.1 (1949). JSTOR. Network. 10 July 2011. .O'Dwyer, Margaret M. The Papacy in the Age of Napoleon and the Restoration: Pius VII, 1800- 1823. Lanham, MD: University of America, 1985. Print.Olson, Roberta JM "Representations of Pope Pius VII: the first hero of the Risorgimento." Il Bollettino dell'Arte 68.1 (1986). JSTOR. Network. 10 July 2011. .