Derived primarily from the Gallican catechisms of Bossuet and Fleury, it included a controversial section on the duties owed to the Emperor, added at Napoleon's request.
The Organic Articles promulgated in 1802 alongside the Concordat of 1801 mandated a single catechism "for all the Catholic churches of France".
The commission led by Abbé d'Astros objected, noting that obedience to the French government was not a universal dogma.
[3] Despite its "abundance of maxims not belonging to Catholic doctrine", only the Archbishop of Bordeaux, d'Aviau, among the French clergy, openly denounced the catechism.
Although Rome remained silent, Pius VII's reservations contributed to the eventual rupture between the Pope and Napoleon two years later.