In 1795, when the national government sought to work with the non-juring clergy, Chaminade accepted responsibility for supervising the reconciliation of the clergy of Bordeaux who had taken the Constitutional Oath but wanted to make peace with the Catholic Church; about fifty such priests completed their reconciliation with his help. After the Coup of 18 Fructidor by the French Directory in 1797, he fled the country and found refuge for three years in Zaragoza, Spain