Papal Condemnations of Freemasonry

Pope Pius IX 1848-1878

Pope Pius IX 1848-1878

Let us proceed further. The chief work of Judeo-Masonry planned by Cavour, Mazzini and Garibaldi was reaching its goal under the Pontificate of Pope Pius IX, with the downfall of Papal temporal power. According to the theories of those sectarians of Masonry, such a loss was sure to entail also that of spiritual power; accordingly the new Pope fixed the responsibility for the conspiracy upon the Secret Societies when, in the Encyclical following his advent, he wrote on November 9, 1846:

"Venerable Brethren, you also are fully aware of the monstrous errors and devices employed by the children of this century to pursue a merciless war against the Catholic Religion, the Divine Authority of the Church and its laws in order to trample upon the rights of both the Ecclesiastical and Civil power: such is the aim of the guilty machinations against Saint Peter's Roman See, upon which Christ established the inexpugnable foundation of His Church. Such is the aim of those Secret Societies issuing from darkness for the eventual ruin of Religion and States, and which, on several occasions, have already been anathemized by preceding Roman Pontiffs in their Apostolical Letters. We confirm the importance of such Letters and wish them to be followed with great care."

Moreover, from Gaete, the place of his exile, in his allocution: "Quibus Quantisque" addressed to the Consistory of April, 1849, Pope Pius IX renewed the identical condemnation in the following terms:

"Those abominable sects of perdition which are as fatally destructive of the salvation of souls as of the welfare and peace of secular society have been condemned by Roman Pontiffs, Our predecessors; We have also personally condemned them Ourselves in Our Encyclical Letter of November 9, 1846, addressed to all the Bishops of the Catholic Church, yet today in virtue of Our Supreme Catholic Authority - We, once again, condemn, forbid and anathematize them."

The Constitution against Freemasonry and the Secret Societies of which Pope Pius IX speaks are those of Popes Clement XII, Benedict XIV, Leo XII and Pius VIII; he adds his own of November 9, 1846 (Qui Pluribus) in his letter to Monseigneur Darboy, October 26, 1865, concerning the funeral service of Marshall Magnan, Supreme Master of the Order of Freemasons; he adds also, his communication to the Bishop of Olinda (Brazil) of May 29, 1873.

The renewed sentences of anathema by Pope Pius IX strike most particularly the satanism of secret societies. In his Encyclical of November 21, 1873, the Pope writes of them as the synagogue of satan, and addressing its members he had already castigated them (Consistory of December 9, 1854) using to this effect, the words of Christ:

"You are of your father the devil and the works of your father you will do."

What are those works? Satan is a liar and a murderer from the beginning of the world, Our Lord tells us. Pope Pius IX denounced the great lie of the so-called White Freemasonry, in his Allocution of September 15, 1865 "Multiplices inter" when he says:

"And now, in order to satisfy the desire and solicitude of Our Fatherly Heart, there remains for US only to warn and exhort the Faithful who might have associated themselves to Sects of this kind to obey wiser inspirations and to leave those evil assemblies so as to avoid being dragged in the abyss of eternal ruin.

"As to all the other faithful, being full of solicitude for their souls, WE strongly exhort them to beware of the perfidious discourses of sectarians who, under a disguise of honesty, are inflamed by an ardent hatred of the Religion of Christ and of all legitimate authority: they have but one thought with the sole aim of exterminating, all Divine and human rights. Let them all be fully conscious of the fact that the affiliates of such sects are as the wolves who, as Our Lord predicted, come disguised with sheeps hide to devour the whole flock: Let the faithful know that such affiliates must be numbered among those with whom the Apostle forbade us to associate, telling us also to even avoid greeting them."

Pope Pius IX equally denounced the satanic homicide of Red Masonry in a letter to the Bishop of Olinda (Brazil) in the following words:

"The Satanic spirit of the Sect was particularly evidenced, in the past century, during the course of the Revolutions of France which shook the entire world. Such upheavals proved that the total dissolution of human society could be expected unless the forces of this ultra criminal Sect were crushed."

That letter was dated May 29, 1873; the latest Masonic and Satanic Revolution at that time was that which in Italy had resulted in making Pope Pius IX "the prisoner of the Vatican." It seems as though the Holy Pontiff was foreseeing such an issue when he uttered his complaint concerning the dual failure of the previous Pontifical condemnations of Masonry. (September 15, 1865).

First he referred to the failure of the anti-Masonic endeavor thus:

"However, the Apostolic See's efforts have not been crowned with the success that might have been expected. The Masonic Sect of which we speak has been neither defeated nor overthrown: just the reverse, the Sect has developed to such an extent that, in these days of great difficulty, it shows itself everywhere and with impunity and raises a more audacious countenance."

Secondly, the Pope outlined the failure of the Catholic side, thus:

"Venerable Brethren, We feel deep sorrow and bitterness, when We see that when, according to the Constitutions of Our Predecessors, action is necessary to condemn this Masonic Sect, many of those whose functions and sacerdotal duty should make them ultra vigilant and ardent over such an important cause have, alas! shown themselves indifferent and as though asleep. If some among them believe that the Apsotolic Constitutions, published under sentence of anathema against the Occult Sects and their adepts and initiates carry no strength in those countries where civil authorities tolerate them, they are most assuredly laboring under a serious mistake."

"As you well know, Venerable Brethren, We have prohibited and We again today prohibit and condemn this false evil doctrine. In fact let Us ask whether the Sovereign power 'To feed and lead the universal flock' which was vested in Saint Peter by Jesus and through which the Roman Pontiffs received the Supreme Authority that they must exercise in the Church depends from civil power -- can such civil power constrain and restrain them in anything whatever? Due to those circumstances and fearing that injudicious people and above all, youth, might be led astray, and in order that silence on Our part might induce anyone to lend protection to error, We have resolved, Venerable Brethren, to raise Our Apostolic Voice -- therefore, We hereby confirm before you the Constitutions of Our Predecessors and in virtue of Our Apostolic Authority We hold up to reprobation and We condemn this Masonic Society and all other societies of the same order which, although different in appearance, but pursuing the same aim against the Church or legitimate Civil Power are constantly being formed. It is Our order that all Christians of any standing whatsoever, of any rank or high appointment and over all the earth should be informed that the said Societies are forbidden and reproved by US, and incur the same sentences and condemnations as those that are specified in the former constitutions of our predecessors."

Among the reproved societies must be included such Leagues as: the League of Human Rights (Ligue des Droits de L'homme) and the League for Education (Ligue de l'Enseistnement ) .