of politicians: among other things, he declared himself opposed to clerical celibacy. On the 17th Brumaire in the year II (7 November 1793), he came before the bar of the National Convention for his activities as civil commissioner in Porrentruy, and, in a famous scene, resigned his episcopal functions, proclaiming that he did so for love of the people, and through respect for their wishes. The previous night, a delegation from the Commune led by Hébert, Chaumette and Cloots had demanded that he publicly renounce his faith or be put to death by the people. The followers of Jacques Hébert, who were then pursuing their anti-Christian policy, claimed Gobel as their representative. At the same time, Hébert's rival Maximilien Robespierre viewed Gobel as an atheist - although he was not accused of apostasy, and never publicly professed atheism. Robespierre's vision of a deist Cult of the Supreme Being was threatened by the opposition of atheist Hébertists (see Cult of Reason), and Gobel shared the fate of the latter. Imprisoned, he was found guilty of the so-called 'Luxembourg prison plot' together with Chaumette; Lucile Desmoulins, wife of the recently executed Camille Desmoulins; Françoise Hebert, wife of the recently executed Hébert; and an assortment of other prisoners of various types. Gobel, on being thrown into prison, suffered the agonies of acute remorse. He hastened to do all in his power to repair his misconduct; he sent his written confession to the Abbé Lothringer, and signed the document, not as bishop of Paris, but of Lydda. He entreated the Abbé to give him the benefit of his ministrations in his last moments, to come to the Conciergerie at the time when he was leaving it for the guillotine, and to pronounce over him the form of absolution, not forgetting the clause “ab omni vinculo excommunicationis.” Gobel's penitence was likewise attested by the Abbé Emery and the Abbé Gaston de Sambucy. All of the alleged conspirators were sentenced to death on the morning of 13 April and guillotined that same afternoon. Notes General references François Victor Alphonse Aulard, "La Culte de la raison" in the review La Révolution Française (1891). Étienne Charavay, Assemble electorale de Paris (Paris, 1890). H. Monin, La Chanson et l'Eglise sous la Révolution (Paris, 1892). "Episcopat de Gobel" in vol. iii. (1900) of Jean Maurice Tourneux, Bibliographie de l'histoire de Paris pendant la Rév. Fr. Attribution 1727 births 1794 deaths