The Gallican Catholic Church was originally created as a government backed body to try to abolish some of the Catholic Church's privileges in France. It became a legally registered fraternal society in 1795, when the assembly decreed a complete separation of church and state. Although it has over the years tried to stay close to the Roman Catholic faith, its origin and the enmity between them and the anti-revolutionary clergy has lead to some differences: an elected clergy, authorisation for priests to marry, and divorces are accepted as long as the couple has first tried mediation.