What role did Pius VI have in relation to the National Assembly?

Pius VI had a significant and hostile relationship with the National Assembly during a period marked by the French Revolution. The National Assembly, which emerged as a key political body in revolutionary France, enacted a series of reforms that clashed fundamentally with the interests and authority of the papacy. Pius VI criticized these reforms, particularly the Civil Constitution of the Clergy, which sought to align the Catholic Church more closely with the revolutionary government and diminish papal power over French affairs.

His denunciation of the National Assembly reflected his broader opposition to the revolutionary movement, which he saw as a threat to the Church and traditional Christian doctrines. This disapproval and the tensions arising from the revolution led to Pius VI taking a firm stand against the Assembly, asserting the independence of the Church from state control and maintaining that the revolutionary reforms undermined the Church's spiritual and temporal authority.

The other options do not accurately capture Pius VI's relationship with the National Assembly, as he did not support their reforms, did not found the assembly, and did not engage in negotiation with them in a manner that indicated acceptance or collaboration. Instead, his denunciation was pivotal in illustrating the conflict between the papacy and the revolutionary forces in France.