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Humanetm Genus

FREEMASONRY
By

POPE LEO XIII



©©sddt^sd



HUMANUM GENUS
ENCYCLICAL LETTER OF OUR HOLY FATHER

BY DIVINE PROVIDENCE

POPE LEO XIII

ON

Freemasonry
To Our Venerable Brethren, All Patriarchs, Primates,

Archbishops and Bishops of the

Catholic World,

In Grace and Communion with the Apostolic See,

POPE LEO XIII

Venerable Brethren,

Health and Apostolic Benediction

Two Kingdoms

1. The race of man, after its miserable fall from God,

the Creator and the Giver of heavenly gifts, “through the

envy of the devil,” separated into two diverse and opposite

parts, of which the one steadfastly contends for truth and

virture, the other for those things which are contrary to

virtue and to truth. The one is the kingdom of God on

earth, namely, the true Church of Jesus Christ; and those

who desire from their heart to be united with it, so as to

gain salvation, must of necessity serve God and His only-

begotten Son with their whole mind and with an entire will.

The other is the kingdom of Satan, in whose possession and

control are all whosoever follow the fatal example of their

leader and of our first parents, those who refuse to obey the

divine and eternal law, and who have many aims of their

own in contempt of God, and many aims also against God.

Two Loves and Two Cities

2. This twofold kingdom St. Augustine keenly dis-

cerned and described after the manner of two cities, con-

Discussion Club Outline Copyrighted by The Missionary Society of St. Paul the
Apostle in the State of New York. 1944.

Printed and published in the U. S. A. by The Paulist Press, New York 19, N. Y.

r 1

1



trary in their laws because striving for contrary objects; and

with a subtle brevity he expressed the efficient cause of each

in these words: “Two loves formed two cities: the love of
self, reaching even to contempt of God, an earthly city; and

the love of God, reaching to contempt of self, a heavenly

one.” At every period of time each has been in conflict

with the other, with a variety and multiplicity of weapons,

and of warfare, although not always with equal ardor and

assault. At this period, however, the partisans of evil seem

to be combining together, and to be struggling with united

vehemence, led on or assisted by that strongly organized

and widespread association called the Freemasons. No

longer making any secret of their purposes, they are now

boldly rising up against God Himself. They are planning

the destruction of holy Church publicly and openly, and

this with the set purpose of utterly despoiling the nations

of Christendom, if it were possible, of the blessings obtained

for us through Jesus Christ our Saviour. Lamenting these

evils, We are constrained by the charity which urges Our
heart to cry out often to God: “For lo, Thy enemies have

made a noise; and they that hate Thee have lifted up the

head. They have taken a malicious counsel against Thy

people, and they have consulted against Thy saints. They

have said, ‘Come, and let us destroy them, so that they be

not a nation/
”

The Pope's Duty

3. At so urgent a crisis, when so fierce and so pressing

an onslaught is made upon the Christian name, it is Our

office to point out the danger, to mark who are the adver-

saries, and to the best of Our power to make head against

their plans and devices, that those may not perish whose

salvation is committed to Us, and that the kingdom of Jesus

Christ intrusted to Our charge may not only stand and re-

main whole, but may be enlarged by an ever-increasing

growth throughout the world.

Our Predecessors on the Alert

4. The Roman Pontiffs Our predecessors, in their inces-

sant watchfulness over the safety of the Christian people,

were prompt in detecting the presence and the purpose of

this capital enemy immediately it sprang into the light in-

stead of hiding as a dark conspiracy; and moreover they

[ 2 ]



took occasion with true foresight to give, as it were, the

alarm, and to admonish both princes and nations to stand

on their guard, and not allow themselves to be caught by

the devices and snares laid out to deceive them.

From Clement’ XII to Pius IX

5. The first warning of the danger was given by Clement

XII in the year 1738, and his Constitution was confirmed

and renewed by Benedict XIV. Pius VII followed the

same path; and Leo XII, by his Apostolic Constitution,

“Quo graviora” put together the acts and decrees of former

Pontiffs on this subject, and ratified and confirmed them

forever. In the same sense spoke Pius VIII, Gregory XVI,

and many times over Pius IX.

The Church, the State and Masonry

6. For as soon as the constitution and the spirit of the

Masonic sect were clearly discovered by manifest signs

of its actions, by cases investigated, by the publication of

its laws, and of its rites and commentaries, with the addi-

tion often of the personal testimony of those who were in

the secret, this Apostolic See denounced the sect of the

Freemasons, and publicly declared its constitution, as con-

trary to law and right, to be pernicious no less to Christen-

dom than to the State; and it forbade any one to enter the

society, under the penalties which the Church is wont to

inflict upon exceptionally guilty persons. The sectaries,

indignant at this, thinking to elude or to weaken the force

of these decrees, partly by contempt of them, and partly

by calumny, accused the Sovereign Pontiffs who had passed

them either of exceeding the bounds of moderation in their

decrees or of decreeing what was not just. This was the

manner in which they endeavored to elude the authority

and the weight of the Apostolic Constitutions of Clement

XII and Benedict XIV, as well as of Pius VII and Pius IX.

Yet in the very society itself there were to be found men

who unwillingly acknowledged that the Roman Pontiffs had

acted within their right, according to the Catholic doctrine

and discipline. The Pontiffs received the same assent, and

in strong terms, from many princes and heads of govern-

ments, who made it their business either to delate the Ma-

sonic society to the Apostolic See, or of their own accord

by special enactments to brand it as pernicious, as, for

f 3

1



example, in Holland, Austria, Switzerland, Spam
v
Bavaria,

Savoy, and other parts of Italy.

Our Predecessors' Warnings Vindicated

7. But, what is of highest importance, the course of

events has demonstrated the prudence of Our predecessors.

For their provident and paternal solicitude had not always

and everywhere the result desired; and this, either because

of the simulation and cunning of some who were active

agents in the mischief, or else of the thoughtless levity of

the rest who ought, in their own interest, to have given to

the matter their diligent attention. In consequence the sect

of Freemasons grew with a rapidity beyond conception in

the course of a century and a half, until it came to be able,

by means of fraud or of audacity, to gain such entrance

into every rank of the State as to seem to be almost its rul-

ing power. This swift and formidable advance has brought

upon the Church, upon the power of princes, upon the pub-

lic well-being, precisely that grievous harm which Our prede-

cessors had long before foreseen. Such a condition has

been reached that henceforth there will be grave reason to

fear, not indeed for the Church—for her foundation is
much too firm to be overturned by the effort of men—but
for those States in which prevails the power, either of the

sect of which we are speaking or of other sects not dis-

similar which lend themselves to it as disciples and sub-

ordinates.

The Teaching and Aims of Masonry

8. For these reasons We no sooner came to the helm of
the Church than We clearly saw and felt it to be Our duty
to use Our authority to the very utmost against so vast an

evil. We have several times already, as occasion served,
attacked certain chief points of teaching which showed in

a special manner the perverse influence of Masonic opin-

ions. Thus, in Our Encyclical Letter, “Quod Apostolici

muneris,” We endeavored to refute the monstrous doctrines
of the Socialists and Communists; afterwards, in another

beginning “Arcanum
” We took pains to defend and explain

the true and genuine idea of domestic life, of which mar-

riage is the spring and origin; and again, in that which be-

gins “Diuturnum
” We described the ideal of political gov-

ernment conformed to the principles of Christian wisdom,

[41



which is marvelously in harmony, on the one hand, with the

natural order of things, and, on the other, with the well-being

of both sovereign princes and of nations. It is now Our

intention, following the example of Our predecessors, direct-

ly to treat of the Masonic society itself, of its whole teach-

ing, of its aims, and of its manner of thinking and acting,

in order to bring more and more into the light its power for

evil, and to do what We can to arrest the contagion of this
fatal plague.

Unity of All Secret Societies

9. There are several organized bodies which, though

differing in name, in ceremonial, in form and origin, are

nevertheless so bound together by community of purpose

and by the similarity of their main opinions, as to make in

fact one thing with the sect of the Freemasons, which is a

kind of center whence they all go forth, and whither they

all return. Now, these no longer show a desire to remain

concealed; for they hold their meetings in the daylight and

before the public eye, and publish their own newspaper or-

gans; and yet, when thoroughly understood, they are found

still to retain the nature and the habits of secret societies.

There are many things like mysteries which it is the fixed

rule to hide with extreme care, not only from strangers, but

from very many members also; such as their secret and

final designs, the names of the chief leaders, and certain

secret and inner meetings, as well as their decisions, and

the ways and means of carrying them out. This is, no

doubt, the object of the manifold difference among the mem-

bers as to right, office, and privilege—of the received dis-
tinction of orders and grades, and of that severe discipline

which is maintained.

Secrecy and Deceit

Candidates are generally commanded to promise—nay,
with a special oath, to swear—that they will never, to
any person, at any time or in any way, make known

the members, the passes, or the subjects discussed. Thus,

with a fraudulent external appearance, and with a style

of simulation which is always the same, the Freemasons,

like the Manichees of old, strive, as far as possible, to

conceal themselves, and to admit no witnesses but their

own members. As a convenient manner of concealment,

[S]



they assume the character of literary men and scholars
associated for purposes of learning. They speak of their

zeal for a more cultured refinement, and of their love

for the poor; and they declare their one wish to be the

amelioration of the condition of the masses, and to share

with the largest possible number all the benefits of civil life.

Were these purposes aimed at in real truth, they are by no

means the whole of their object. Moreover, to be enrolled,

it is necessary that the candidates promise and undertake

to be thenceforward strictly obedient to their leaders and

masters with the utmost submission and fidelity, and to be

in readiness to do their bidding upon the slightest expression

of their will; or, if disobedient, to submit to the direst

penalties and death itself. As a fact, if any are judged

to have betrayed the doings of the sect or to have resisted

commands given, punishment is inflicted on them not in-

frequently, and with so much audacity and dexterity that

the assassin very often escapes the detection and penalty

of his crime.

Evil Fruits of Masonry

10. But to simulate and wish to lie hid; to bind men like

slaves in the very tightest bonds, and without giving any

sufficient reason
;
to make use of men enslaved to the will of

another for any arbitrary act; to arm men’s right hands

for bloodshed after securing impunity for the crime—all this
is an enormity from which nature recoils. Wherefore rea-

son and truth itself make it plain that the society of which

we are speaking is in antagonism with justice and natural

uprightness. And this becomes still plainer, inasmuch as

other arguments also, and those very manifest, prove that it

is essentially opposed to natural virtue. For, no matter

how great may be men’s cleverness in concealing and their

experience in lying, it is impossible to prevent the effects of

any cause from showing, in some way, the intrinsic nature of

the cause whence they come. “A good tree cannot produce

bad fruit, nor a bad tree produce good fruit.” Now, the

Masonic sect produces fruits that are pernicious and of the

bitterest savor. For, from what We have above most clearly
shown, that which is their ultimate purpose forces itself into

view—namely, the utter overthrow of that whole religious
and political order of the world which the Christian teaching

has produced, and the substitution of a new state of things

[ 6 ]



in accordance with their ideas, of which the foundations and

laws shall be drawn from mere “Naturalism.”

Masonry and Associated Organizations

11. What We have said, and are about to say, must be
understood of the sect of the Freemasons taken generically,

and in so far as it comprises the associations kindred to it

and confederated with it, but not of the individual members

of them. There may be persons amongst these, and not a

few, who, although not free from the guilt of having entan-

gled themselves in such associations, yet are neither them-

selves partners in their criminal acts, nor aware of the ulti-

mate object which they are endeavoring to attain. In the

same way, some of the affiliated societies, perhaps, by no

means approve of the extreme conclusions which they would,

if consistent, embrace as necessarily following from their

common principles, did not their very foulness strike them

with horror. Some of these, again, are led by circumstances

of times and places either to aim at smaller things than

the others usually attempt, or than they themselves would

wish to attempt. They are not, however, for this reason,

to be reckoned as alien to the Masonic federation; for the

Masonic federation is to be judged not so much by the things

which it has done, or brought to completion, as by the sum

of its pronounced opinions.

The Principles of Naturism

12. Now, the fundamental doctrine of the Naturalists,

which they sufficiently make known by their very name,

is that human nature and human reason ought in all things

to be mistress and guide. Laying this down, they care

little for duties to God, or pervert them by erroneous and

vague opinions. For they deny that anything has been

taught by God; they allow no dogma of religion or truth

which cannot be understood by the human intelligence, nor

any teacher who ought to be believed by reason of his

authority. And since it is the special and exclusive duty

of the Catholic Church fully to set forth in words truths

divinely received, to teach, besides other divine helps to sal-

vation, the authority of its office, and to defend the same

with perfect purity, it is against the Church that the rage

and attack of the enemies are principally directed.

17 ]



Masonry Upholds Naturalism

13. In those matters which regard religion let it be seen

how the sect of the Freemasons acts, especially where it is

more free to act without restraint, and then let any one

judge whether in fact it does not wish to carry out the policy

of the Naturalists. By a long and persevering labor, they

endeavor to bring about this result—namely, that the office
and authority of the Church may become of no account in

the civil State; and for this same reason they declare to the

people and contend that Church and State ought to be al-

together disunited. By this means they reject from the

laws and from the commonwealth the wholesome influence

of the Catholic religion; and they consequently imagine that

States ought to be constituted without any regard for the

laws and precepts of the Church.

Masonry Attacks Christ's Church

14. Nor do they think it enough to disregard the Church

—the best of guides—unless they also injure it by their
hostility. Indeed, with them it is lawful to attack with im-

punity the very foundations of the Catholic religion, in

speech, in writing, and in teaching; and even the rights of

the Church are not spared, and the offices with which it is

divinely invested are not safe. The least possible liberty

to manage affairs is left to the Church; and this is done by

laws not apparently very hostile, but in reality framed and

fitted to hinder freedom of action. Moreover, We see excep-
tional and onerous laws imposed upon the clergy, to the end

that they may be continually diminished in number and in

necessary means. We see also the remnants of the posses-
sions of the Church fettered by the strictest conditions, and

subjected to the power and arbitrary will of the adminis-

trators of the State, and the religious orders rooted up and

scattered.

Masonry Assails Christ's Vicar

15. But against the Apostolic See and the Roman Pontiff

the contention of these enemies has been for a long time

directed. The Pontiff was first, for specious reasons, thrust

out from the bulwark of his liberty and of his right, the civil

princedom; soon he was unjustly driven into a condition

which was unbearable because of the difficulties raised on

[ 8 ]



all sides; and now the time has come when the partisans of

the sects openly declare, what in secret among themselves

they have for a long time plotted, that the sacred power

of the Pontiffs must be abolished, and that the Pontificate

itself, founded by divine right, must be utterly destroyed. If

other proofs were wanting, this fact would be sufficiently

disclosed by the testimony of men well informed, of whom

some at other times, and others again recently, have de-

clared it to be true of the Freemasons that they especially

desire to assail the Church with irreconcilable hostility, and

that they will never rest until they have destroyed what-

ever the supreme Pontiffs have established for the sake of

religion.

Masonry Undermines AH Religion

16. If those who are admitted as members are not com-

manded to abjure by any form of words the Catholic doc-

trines, this omission, so far from being adverse to the designs

of the Freemasons, is more useful for their purposes. First,

in this way they easily deceive the simple-minded and the

heedless, and can induce a far greater number to become

members. Again, as all who offer themselves are received

whatever may be their form of religion, they thereby teach

the great error of this age—that a regard for religion should
be held as an indifferent matter, and that all religions are

alike. This manner of reasoning is calculated to bring

about the ruin of all forms of religion, and especially of the

Catholic religion, which, as it is the only one that is true,

cannot, without great injustice, be regarded as merely equal

to other religions.

Masonic Belief in God
•

17. But the Naturalists go much further; for having, in

the highest things, entered upon a wholly erroneous course,

they are carried headlong to extremes, either by reason of

the weakness of human nature, or because God inflicts upon

them the just punishment of their pride. Hence it happens

that they no longer consider as certain and permanent

those things which are fully understood by the natural light

of reason, such as certainly are—the existence of God, the
immaterial nature of the human soul, and its immortality.

The sect of the Freemasons, by a similar course of error, is

exposed to these same dangers; for although in a general

[t]



way they may profess the existence of God, they themselves

are witnesses that they do not all maintain this truth with

the full assent of the mind or with a firm conviction. Nei-

ther do they conceal that this question about God is the

greatest source and cause of discords among them; in fact,

it is certain that a considerable contention about this same

subject has existed among them very lately. But indeed

the sect allows great liberty to its votaries, so that to each

side is given the right to defend its own opinion, either that

there is a God, or that there is none; and those who obsti-

nately contend that there is no God are as easily initiated

as those who contend that God exists, though, like the Pan-

theists, they have false notions concerning Him: all which

is nothing else than taking away the reality, while retaining

some absurd representation of the divine nature.

Loss of Natural Truths

18. When this greatest fundamental truth has been over-

turned or weakened, it follows that those truths also which

are known by the teaching of nature must begin to fall

—

namely, that all things were made by the free will of God

the Creator; that the world is governed by Providence; that

souls do not die; that to this life of men upon the earth there

will succeed another and an everlasting life.

Effect on Morality

19. When these truths are done away with, which are as

the principles of nature and important for knowledge and

for practical use, it is easy to see what will become of both

public and private morality. We say nothing of those more
heavenly virtues, which no one can exercise or even acquire

without a special gift and grace of God; of which necessarily

no trace can be found in those who reject as unknown the

redemption of mankind, the grace of God, the sacraments,

and the happiness to be obtained in heaven. We speak now
of the duties which have their origin in natural probity.

That God is the Creator of the world and its provident

Ruler; that the eternal law commands the natural order to

be maintained, and forbids that it be disturbed; that the

last end of men is a destiny far above human things and

beyond this sojourning upon the earth: these are the sources

and these the principles of all justice and morality.

[ 10 ]



No Foundation for Justice

If these be taken away, as the Naturalists and Free-

masons desire, there will immediately be no knowledge as to

what constitutes justice and injustice, or upon what principle

morality is founded. And, in truth, the teaching of moral-

ity which alone finds favor with the sect of Freemasons, and

in which they contend that youth should be instructed, is

that which they call “civil,” and “independent,” and “free,”

namely, that which does not contain any religious belief.

But how insufficient such teaching is, how wanting in sound-

ness, and how easily moved by every impulse of passion, is

sufficiently proved by its sad fruits, which have already be-

gun to appear. For wherever, by removing Christian edu-

cation, the sect has begun more completely to rule, there

goodness and integrity of morals have begun quickly to

perish, monstrous and shameful opinions have grown up,

and the audacity of evil deeds has risen to a high degree.

All this is commonly complained of and deplored; and not

a few of those who by no means wish to do so are com-

pelled by abundant evidence to give not infrequently the

same testimony.

Weakness of Our Nature

20. Moreover, human nature was stained by original

sin, and is therefore more disposed to vice than to vir-

tue. For a virtuous life it is absolutely necessary to restrain

the disorderly movements of the soul, and to make the pas-

sions obedient to reason. In this conflict human things

must very often be despised, and the greatest labors and

hardships must be undergone, in order that reason may al-

ways hold its sway. But the Naturalists and Freemasons,

having no faith in those things which we have learned by

the revelation of God, deny that our first parents sinned,

and consequently think that free will is not at all weakened

and inclined to evil. On the contrary, exaggerating rather

our natural virtue and excellence and placing therein alone

the principle and rule of justice, they cannot even imagine

that there is any need at all of a constant struggle and a

perfect steadfastness to overcome the violence and rule of

our passions.

A Gospel of Pleasure

Wherefore we see that men are publicly tempted by

the many allurements of pleasure; that there are journals

[ 11 ]



and pamphlets with neither moderation nor shame; that

stage-plays are remarkable for license; that designs for

works of art are shamelessly sought in the laws of a

so-called realism; that the contrivances of a soft and deli-

cate life are most carefully devised; and that all the blan-

dishments of pleasure are diligently sought out by which

virtue may be lulled to sleep. Wickedly also, but at the
same time quite consistently, do those act who do away

with the expectation of the joys of heaven, and bring down

all happiness to the level of mortality, and, as it were, sink

it in the earth. Of what We have said the following fact,
astonishing not so much in itself as in its open expression,

may serve as a confirmation. For since generally no one is

accustomed to obey crafty and clever men so submissively

as those whose soul is weakened and broken down by the

domination of the passions, there have been in the sect of

the Freemasons some who have plainly determined and pro-

posed that, artfully and of set purpose, the multitude should

be satiated with a boundless license of vice, as, when this

had been done, it would easily come under their power and

authority for any acts of daring.

Teachings on Marriage

21. What refers to domestic life in the teaching of the

Naturalists is almost all contained in the following declara-

tions. That marriage belongs to the genus of commercial

contracts, which can rightly be revoked by the will of those

who made them, and that the civil rulers of the State have

power over the matrimonial bond; that in the education of

youth nothing is to be taught in the matter of religion as of

certain and fixed opinion; and each one must be left at

liberty to follow, when he comes of age, whatever he may

prefer. To these things the Freemasons fully assent; and

not only assent, but have long endeavored to make them into

a law and institution. For in many countries, and those

nominally Catholic, it is enacted that no marriages shall be

considered lawful except those contracted by the civil rite;

in other places the law permits divorce; and in others every

effort is used to make it lawful as soon as may be. Thus

the time is quickly coming when marriages will be turned

into another kind of contract—that is, into changeable and
uncertain unions which fancy may join together, and which

the same when changed may disunite.

r i2]



Educational Principles

With the greatest unanimity the sect of the Freemasons

also endeavors to take to itself the education of youth.

They think that they can easily mold to their opinions that

soft and pliant age, and bend it whither they will; and that

nothing can be more fitted than this to enable them to bring

up the youth of the State after their own plan. Therefore in

the education and instruction of children they allow no share,

either of teaching or of discipline, to the ministers of the

Church; and in many places they have procured that the

education of youth shall be exclusively in the hands of lay-

men, and that nothing which treats of the most important

and most holy duties of men to God shall be introduced into

the instructions on morals.

Political Doctrines

22. Then come their doctrines of politics, in which the

Naturalists lay down that all men have the same right, and

are in every respect of equal and like condition; that each

one is naturally free; that no one has the right to command

another; that it is an act of violence to require men to obey

any authority other than that which is obtained from them-

selves. According to this, therefore, all things belong to the

free people; power is held by the command or permission of

the people, so that, when the popular will changes, rulers

may lawfully be deposed; and the source of all rights and

civil duties is either in the multitude or in the governing

authority when this is constituted according to the latest

doctrines. It is held also that the State should be withoilt

God; that in the various forms of religion there is no rea-

son why one should have precedence of another; and that

they are all to occupy the same place.

Communism the Sequel

23. That these doctrines are equally acceptable to the

Freemasons, and that they would wish to constitute States

according to this example and model, is too well known to

require proof. For some time past they have openly en-

deavored to bring this about with all their strength and

resources; and in this they prepare the way for not a few

bolder men who are hurrying on even to worse things, in

their endeavor to obtain equality and community of all

goods by the destruction of every distinction of rank and

property.

[ 13 ]



Masonry Means Paganism

24. What therefore the sect of the Freemasons is, and
what course it pursues, appears sufficiently from the sum-

mary We have briefly given. Their chief dogmas are so
greatly and manifestly at variance with reason, that noth-

ing can be more perverse. To wish to destroy the religion

and the Church which God Himself has established, and

whose perpetuity He insures by His protection, and to bring
back after a lapse of eighteen centuries the manners and

customs of the pagans, is signal folly and audacious im-

piety. Neither is it less horrible nor more tolerable that

they should repudiate the benefits which Jesus Christ has

mercifully obtained, not only for individuals, but also for

the family and for civil society, benefits which, even accord-

ing to the judgment and testimony of enemies of Christian-

ity, are very great. In this insane and wicked endeavor we

may almost see the implacable hatred and spirit of revenge

with which Satan himself is inflamed against Jesus Christ.

—

So also the studious endeavor of the Freemasons to de-

stroy the chief foundations of justice and honesty, and to

co-operate with those who would wish, as if they were mere

animals, to do what they please, tends only to the igno-

minious and disgraceful ruin of the human race.

Dangers to Society

The evil, too, is increased by the dangers which threaten

both domestic and civil society. As We have elsewhere
shown, in marriage, according to the belief of almost every

nation, there is something sacred and religious; and the law

of God has determined that marriages shall not be dissolved.

If they are deprived of their sacred character, and made

dissoluble, trouble and confusion in the family will be the

result, the wife being deprived of her dignity and the chil-

dren left without protection as to their interests and well-

being.—To have in public matters no care for religion, and
in the arrangement and administration of civil affairs to

have no more regard for God than if He did not exist, is a

rashness unknown to the very pagans; for in their heart and

soul the notion of a divinity and the need of public religion

were so firmly fixed that they would have thought it easier

to have a city without foundation than a city without God.

Human society, indeed, for which by nature we are formed,

r i4]



has been constituted by God the Author of nature; and

from Him, as from their principle and source, flow in all

their strength and permanence the countless benefits with

which society abounds. As we are each of us admonished

by the very voice of nature to worship God in piety and

holiness, as the Giver unto us of life and of all that is good

therein, so also and for the same reason, nations and States

are bound to worship Him; and therefore it is clear that

those who would absolve society from all religious duty act

not only unjustly but also with ignorance and folly.

Foundation of Civic Obedience

25. As men are by the will of God born for civil union

and society, and as the power to rule is so necessary a bond

of society that, if it be taken away, society must at once be

broken up, it follows that from Him Who is the Author of
society has come also the authority to rule; so that whoso-

ever rules, he is the minister of God. Wherefore, as the end

and nature of human society so requires, it is right to obey

the just commands of lawful authority, as it is right to obey

God Who ruleth all things; and it is most untrue that the
people have it in their power to cast aside their obedience

whensoever they please.

True and False Equality

26. In like manner, no one doubts that all men are equal

one to another, so far as regards their common origin and

nature, or the last end which each one has to attain, or the

rights and duties which are thence derived. But as the

abilities of all are not equal, as one differs from another in

the powers of mind or body, and as there are very many

dissimilarities of manner, disposition, and character, it is

most repugnant to reason to endeavor to confine all within

the same measure, and to extend complete equality to the

institutions of civil life. Just as a perfect condition of the

body results from the conjunction and composition of its

various members, which, though differing in form and pur-

pose, make, by their union and the distribution of each one

to its proper place, a combination beautiful to behold, firm

in strength, and necessary for use; so, in the commonwealth,

there is an almost infinite dissimilarity of men, as parts of

the whole. If they are to be all equal, and each is to follow

his own will, the State will appear most deformed; but if,

[ IS 1



with a distinction of degrees of dignity, of pursuits and em-

ployments, all aptly conspire for the common good, they will
present a natural image of a well-constituted State.

A Threat to States

27. Now, from the disturbing errors which We have de-
scribed the greatest dangers to States are to be feared. For,

the fear of God and reverence for divine laws being taken

away, the authority of rulers despised, sedition permitted

and approved, and the popular passions urged on to lawless-

ness, with no restraint save that of punishment, a change

and overthrow of all things will necessarily follow. Yea,

this change and overthrow is deliberately planned and put

forward by many associations of Communists and Socialists',

and to their undertakings the sect of Freemasons is not

hostile, but greatly favors their designs, and holds in com-

mon with them their chief opinions. And if these men do

not at once and everywhere endeavor to carry out their ex-

treme views, it is not to be attributed to their teaching and

their will, but to the virtue of that divine religion which can-

not be destroyed; and also because the sounder part of men,

refusing to be enslaved to secret societies, vigorously resist

their insane attempts.

People and Rulers Deceived

28. Would that all men would judge of the tree by its

fruits, and would acknowledge the seed and origin of the

evils which press upon us, and of the dangers that are im-

pending! We have to deal with a deceitful and crafty
enemy, who, gratifying the ears of people and of princes, has

ensnared them by smooth speeches and by adulation. In-

gratiating themselves with rulers under a pretense of friend-

ship, the Freemasons have endeavored to make them their

allies and powerful helpers for the destruction of the Chris-

tian name; and that they might more strongly urge them

on, they have, with determined calumny, accused the Church

of invidiously contending with rulers in matters that affect

their authority and sovereign power. Having, by these

artifices, insured their own safety and audacity, they have

begun to exercise great weight in the government of States;

but nevertheless they are prepared to shake the foundations

of empires, to harass the rulers of the State, to accuse, and

to cast them out, as often as they appear to govern other-

[ 16 ]



wise than they themselves could have wished. In like man-

ner they have by flattery deluded the people. Proclaiming

with a loud voice liberty and public prosperity, and saying

that it was owing to the Church and to sovereigns that the

multitude were not drawn out of their unjust servitude and

poverty, they have imposed upon the people; and, exciting

them by a thirst for novelty, they have urged them to assail

both the Church and the civil power. Nevertheless, the

expectation of the benefits which were hoped for was greater

than the reality; indeed, the common people, more op-

pressed than they were before, are deprived in their misery

of that solace which, if things had been arranged in a Chris-

tian manner, they would have had with ease and in abun-

dance. But whoever strive against the order which divine

Providence has constituted pay usually the penalty of their

pride, and meet with affliction and misery where they rashly

hoped to find all things prosperous and in conformity with

their desires.

Benefit of Church's Teaching

29. The Church, if she directs men to render obedience

chiefly and above all to God the sovereign Lord, is wrongly

and falsely believed either to be envious of the civil power

or to arrogate to herself something of the rights of sovereigns.

On the contrary, she teaches that what is rightly due to the

civil power must be rendered to it with a conviction and con-

sciousness of duty. In teaching that from God Himself

comes the right of ruling, she adds a great dignity to civil

authority, and no small help towards obtaining the obedi-

ence and good-will of the citizens. The friend of peace and

sustainer of concord, she embraces all with maternal love;

and, intent only upon giving help to mortal man, she teaches

that to justice must be joined clemency, equity to authority,

and moderation to law-giving; that no one’s right must be

violated; that order and public tranquillity are to be main-

tained; and that the poverty of those who are in need is, as

far as possible, to be relieved by public and private charity.

“But for this reason,” to use the words of St. Augustine,

“men think, or would have it believed, that Christian teach-

ing is not suited to the good of the State; for they wish the

State to be founded not on solid virtue, but on the impunity

of vice.” Knowing these things, both princes and people

would act with political wisdom, and according to the needs

tin



of general safety, if, instead of joining with Freemasons to

destroy the Church, they joined with the Church in repelling

their attacks.

The Popes' Warning Reiterated

30. Whatever the future may be, in this grave and wide-

spread evil it is Our duty, Venerable Brethren, to endeavor

to find a remedy. And because We know that Our best and
firmest hope of a remedy is in the power of that divine reli-

gion which the Freemasons hate in proportion to their fear

of it, We think it to be of chief importance to call that most
saving power to Our aid against the common enemy. There-

fore, whatsoever the Roman Pontiffs Our predecessors have

decreed for the purpose of opposing the undertakings and

endeavors of the Masonic sect, and whatsoever they have

enacted to deter or withdraw men from societies of this

kind, We ratify and confirm it all by Our Apostolic author-
ity: and trusting greatly to the good-will of Christians, We
pray and beseech each one, for the sake of his eternal salva-

tion, to be most conscientiously careful not in the least to de-

part from what the Apostolic See has commanded in this

matter.

No Compromise With Masonry

31. We pray and beseech you, Venerable Brethren, to
join your efforts with Ours, and earnestly to strive for the

extirpation of this foul plague, which is creeping through

the veins of the State. You have to defend the glory of

God and the salvation of your neighbor; and with this ob-

ject of your strife before you, neither courage nor strength

will be wanting. It will be for your prudence to judge by

what means you can best overcome the difficulties and ob-

stacles you meet with. But as it befits the authority of

Our office that We Ourselves should point out some suit-
able way of proceeding, We wish it to be your rule first of
all to tear away the mask from Freemasonry, and to let it

be seen as it really is; and by sermons and Pastoral Letters

to instruct the people as to the artifices used by societies

of this kind in seducing men and enticing them into their

ranks, and as to the depravity of their opinions and the

wickedness of their acts. As Our predecessors have many

times repeated, let no man think that he may for any reason

whatsoever join the Masonic sect, if he values his Catholic

[ 18 ]



name and his eternal salvation as he ought to value them.

Let no one be deceived by a pretense of honesty. It may

seem to some that Freemasons demand nothing that is openly

contrary to religion and morality; but, as the whole prin-

ciple and object of the sect lies in what is vicious and crim-

inal, to join with these men or in any way to help them can-

not be lawful.

Sound Religious Instruction Needed

32. Further, by assiduous teaching and exhortation, the

multitude must be drawn to learn diligently the precepts of

religion; for which purpose We earnestly advise that by op-
portune writings and sermons they be taught the elements

of those sacred truths in which Christian philosophy is con-

tained. The result of this will be that the minds of men

will be made sound by instruction, and will be protected

against many forms of error and inducements to wicked-

ness, especially in the present unbounded freedom of writ-

ing and insatiable eagerness for learning.

United Effort of Clergy and Laity

33. Great, indeed, is the work; but in it the clergy will

share your labors, if, through your care, they are fitted for

it by learning and a well-trained life. This good and great

work requires to be helped also by the industry of those

amongst the laity in whom a love of religion and of country

is joined to learning and goodness of life. By uniting the

efforts of both clergy and laity, strive, Venerable Brethren,

to make men thoroughly know and love the Church; for the

greater their knowledge and love of the Church, the more

will they be turned away from clandestine societies.

Ideal of St. Francis

34. Wherefore, not without cause do We use this occa-
sion to state again what We have stated elsewhere, namely,
that the Third Order of St. Francis, whose discipline We a
little while ago prudently mitigated, should be studiously

promoted and sustained: for the whole object of this Order,

as constituted by its founder, is to invite men to an imita-

tion of Jesus Christ, to a love of the Church, and to the ob-

servance of all Christian virtues; and therefore it ought to

be of great influence in suppressing the contagion of wicked

societies. Let, therefore, this holy sodality be strengthened

[ 19 ]



by a daily increase. Amongst the many benefits to be ex-
pected from it will be the great benefit of drawing the minds

of men to liberty, fraternity, and equality of right; not such
as the Freemasons absurdly imagine, but such as Jesus

Christ obtained for the human race and St. Francis aspired
to: the liberty, We mean, of sons of God, through which we
may be free from slavery to Satan or to our passions, both of
them most wicked masters; the fraternity whose origin is in

God, the common Creator and Father of all; the equality

which, founded on justice and charity, does not take away

all distinctions among men, but, out of the varieties of life,

of duties, and of pursuits, forms that union and that har-

mony which naturally tend to the benefit and dignity of the

State.

Restore Catholic Guilds

35. In the third place, there is a matter wisely instituted

by our forefathers, but in course of time laid aside, which

may now be used as a pattern and form of something

similar. We mean the associations or guilds of workmen,
for the protection, under the guidance of religion, both of

their temporal interests and of their morality. If our an-

cestors, by long use and experience, felt the benefit of these

guilds, our age perhaps will feel it the more by reason of the

opportunity which they will give of crushing the power of

the sects. Those who support themselves by the labor of

their hands, besides being, by their very condition, most

worthy above all others of charity and consolation, are also

especially exposed to the allurements of men whose ways

lie in fraud and deceit. Therefore they ought to be helped

with the greatest possible kindness, and to be invited to join

associations that are good, lest they be drawn away to others

that are evil. For this reason, We greatly wish, for the sal-
vation of the people, that, under the auspices and patronage

of the Bishops, and at convenient times, these guilds may

be generally restored. To Our great delight, sodalities of

this kind and also associations of masters, have in many

places already been established, having, each class of them,

for their object to help the honest workman, to protect and

guard his children and family, and to promote in them piety,

Christian knowledge, and a moral life. And in this matter

We cannot omit mentioning that exemplary society, named

after its founder, St. Vincent, which has deserved so well of

[ 20 ]



the people of the lower order. Its acts and its aims are well

known. Its whole object is to give relief to the poor and

miserable. This it does with singular prudence and modesty;

and the less it wishes to be seen, the better is it fitted for the

exercise of Christian charity, and for the relief of suffering.

Special Guidance of Youth

36. In the fourth place, in order more easily to attain

what We wish, to your fidelity and watchfulness We com-
mend in a special manner the young, as being the hope of

human society. Devote the greatest part of your care to

their instruction; and do not think that any precaution can

be great enough in keeping them from masters and schools

whence the pestilent breath of the sects is to be feared.

Under your guidance, let parents, religious instructors, and

priests having the cure of souls, use every opportunity, in

their Christian teaching, of warning their children and pu-

pils of the infamous nature of these societies so that they

may learn in good time to beware of the various and fraudu-

lent artifices by which their promoters are accustomed to en-

snare people. And those who instruct the young in religious

knowledge will act wisely, if they induce all of them to re-

solve and to undertake never to bind themselves to any so-

ciety without the knowledge of their parents, or the advice

of their parish priest or director.

A Call to Prayer and Action

37. We well know, however, that our united labors will
by no means suffice to pluck up these pernicious seeds from

the Lord’s field, unless the Heavenly Master of the vine-

yard shall mercifully help us in our endeavors. We must,
therefore, with great and anxious care, implore of Him the
help which the greatness of the danger and of the need re-

quires. The sect of the Freemasons shows itself insolent and

proud of its success, and seems as if it would put no bounds

to its pertinacity. Its followers, joined together by a wicked

compact and by secret counsels, give help one to another,

and excite one another to an audacity for evil things. So

vehement an attack demands an equal defense—namely, that
all good men should form the widest possible association of

action and of prayer. We beseech them, therefore, with
united hearts, to stand together and unmoved against the

advancing force of the sects; and in mourning and supplica-

[ 21 ]



tion to stretch out their hands to God, praying that the

Christian name may flourish and prosper, that the Church

may enjoy its needed liberty, that those who have gone

astray may return to a right mind, that error at length may

give place to truth, and vice to virtue. Let us take as our

helper and intercessor the Virgin Mary, Mother of God, so

that she, who from the moment of her conception overcame

Satan, may show her power over these evil sects, in which

is revived the contumacious spirit of the demon, together with

his unsubdued perfidy and deceit. Let us beseech Michael,

the prince of the heavenly angels, who drove out the infernal

foe; and Joseph, the spouse of the Most Holy Virgin, and

heavenly Patron of the Catholic Church; and the great

apostles, Peter and Paul, the fathers and victorious cham-

pions of the Christian faith. By their patronage, and by

perseverance in united prayer, We hope that God will merci-
fully and opportunely succor the human race, which is en-

compassed by so many dangers.

38. Asa pledge of heavenly gifts and of Our benevolence,

We lovingly grant in the Lord, to you, Venerable Brethren,

and to the clergy and all the people committed to your

watchful care, Our Apostolic Benediction.

39. Given at St. Peter’s in Rome, the twentieth day of

April, 1884, the 6th year of Our Pontificate.

LEO XIII, POPE.

DISCUSSION CLUB OUTLINE

By Rev. Gerald C. Treacy, SJ.

I

The world is divided into two kingdoms, the Kingdom of God

and the Kingdom of Satan. The Kingdom of God is the Catholic

Church. Its citizens strive to serve God and live up to the teach-

ings of Christ. The Kingdom of Satan is made up of those who

refuse to obey God’s Eternal Law, following the sad example of their

leader and of our first parents, Adam and Eve.

St. Augustine described these two kingdoms as two cities, saying:

“Two loves built two cities; the love of self reaching even to contempt

of God, an earthly city, and the love of God reaching to contempt

[ 12 ]



of self, a heavenly city.” There has always been conflict between

these two cities. The battle has at times been intense, at other times

less intense. Today (1884) however the forces of evil, the earthly

city, Satan’s Kingdom, seem to be battling with united vigor under

the leadership of a world-wide organization called the Freemasons.

These forces no longer work in secret. They have openly de-

clared war on God, and call for the destruction of the Church.

Their aim is the dechristianizing of the nations of the world. It is

Our duty to sound a note of warning in this critical hour, and to

meet the enemies of God with every resource at Our command. A

Christ’s Vicar on earth, it is an obligation of Our office to see that

the Kingdom of Christ not only holds the line against the onslaughts

of Satan’s cohorts, but that it carries on to victory, spreading its

saving message of Divine Truth farther and farther into the con-

fines of the world.

Our predecessors, the Roman Pontiffs, were quick to detect the

enemies of God, as soon as they appeared out of the darkness of

their secret councils, and they were prompt to warn the nations and

their leaders against the snares and the deceits that were craftily

being planned for the destruction of Christendom. The first warn-

ing given by Clement XII in 1738, was repeated by every Pope down

to the recent days of Pius IX.

For as soon as the real meaning of Masonry appeared from the

publication of its official documents, laws, rites and commentaries,

the Apostolic See condemned the principles of this sect, as contrary

to God’s law, dangerous alike to religion and the State, and forbade

Catholics to join the lodges under penalty of excommunication. The

Masons replied by falsely accusing the Sovereign Pontiffs of acting

unjustly and without due moderation. A few members of the Order

however admitted the right and justice of the Papal attitude. More-

over many government heads concurred with the policy of the Popes,

and several States branded masonic teachings as hostile and dangerous

to public peace and order.

The rightness of the Popes’ condemnation has been proved by the

course of events. Wherever rulers of States allowed Masonry to

flourish against the warning uttered by the Vicar of Christ, the result

has been that the lodges have grown strong enough in 150 years

to take over the powers of government. And the harm foreseen by

Our predecessors against religion, public peace and the State itself is

today evident to all thinking men. Indeed today we have reason to

fear not for the Church whose foundation is strong with divine power,

but for every State where masonic power prevails.

For these reasons as soon as We became Head of the Church,

We determined to attack this evil with all Our authority. We have

already pointed out the falsity of masonic teachings on several occa-

sions. In exposing the fallacies of Socialists and Communists, We
have explained the true Christian teaching on domestic life, and We

[ 23 ]



have described the Christian ideal of political government. It is Our

present purpose to explain the teachings and practices of Masonry,

and to bring to light its power for evil that the poisonous progress

of this fatal plague may be stopped (1-9).

QUESTIONS

Into what two kingdoms is the world divided?

Name the leaders and the followers in these kingdoms.

What two loves form these kingdoms?

What is Masonry’s relationship to these two kingdoms?

How does Pope Leo state the masonic plan?

What did the Pope say of his immediate duty in the year 1884?

What had the previous Popes done?

Where did the Popes get their information on Masonry?

What did this information reveal about Masonry?

How did Masonry answer the charge of the Roman Pontiffs?

What was the reaction of some members of the masonic sect and

of some governments to the statements of the Pontiffs?

What has been the result of the growth of Masonry on the

Church and State?

Has the State more to fear from Masonry than the Church?

What is Pope Leo’s plan in this encyclical?

II

There are several secret societies differing in name, yet one in

principle and purpose. They are all centered around Freemasonry.

For they stem from it and revert back to it. They now meet openly

and express their views through their own press. Nevertheless they

follow the wrong policies of secret societies. They hide their real

objectives even from a good number of their own membership. The

names of their leaders are carefully hidden. Candidates are obliged

to promise under oath to reveal nothing in regard to the member-

ship, the subjects discussed at the meetings, the passwords and the

plans. Like the Manichees of old, they strive to have no witnesses

to their actions but their own members. They often mask their real

designs by claiming to be literary societies concerned only with the

advance of culture, or else societies devoted to the welfare of the poor.

Even if these objectives were aimed at, they would not be their chief

aim. Absolute and blind obedience is exacted of the candidate toward

his leaders. Punishment for disobedience is severe, and often means

death.

An organization that binds men to slavery such as this, forcing

them to obey the arbitrary will of another under pain of death, is

evidently opposed to justice and cannot but produce evil. “A good

tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor a bad tree good fruit.” And the

[ 24 ]



fruit produced by Masonry is evil and bitter. For it is nothing less

than the overthrow of the Christian social and political order, and

the substitution of a new world-order founded on Naturalism.

We are not speaking of the aims of individuals who belong to

the masonic society or its allied associations. For there are a great

many members who do not know the real purpose aimed at by these

groups. These men are to be blamed however for joining societies

under secret oath, without investigating their aim and purpose. Nor

do We pronounce judgment on masonic accomplishments. We judge

it on its official teachings.

Masonry is founded on Naturalism. That means that human

nature and human reason are supreme, and that there are no truths

revealed by God that men are bound to believe. The Naturalist

denies the authority of the Catholic Church as God’s Voice upon

earth and against that Church the hatred of Naturalism is chiefly

aimed.

Following the tenets of Naturalism, Masonry advocates the com-

plete exclusion of the Church from any civic influence, banns all

cooperation between Church and State, and relegates religion and

the Church to the realm of private and personal life. Not only does

Masonry disregard the Church, but by speech and writing it attacks

the very foundation of the Church. It denies the God-given rights

of the Church, and restricts its liberty of action at every opportunity.

It seeks by laws, apparently not hostile but in reality so framed, to

hinder the apostolate of the clergy, to curtail the ownership and

administration of Church property, and to disperse the Religious

Orders (10-14).

QUESTIONS

Are the different secret societies united with Masonry in their

aims?

Mention some things that these societies keep secret.

What promises must a candidate make on joining a secret society?

How does Masonry resemble the old sect of the Manichees?
Mention some methods of concealment used by Masonry.

What penalty may be imposed by Masonry on a disobedient

member?

The obedience exacted by Masonry is against justice. Prove.

What does the Pope say is the ultimate purpose of Masonry?

Is the Pope speaking of individual members or of the ideas of

Masonry?

The new order of life planned by Masonry is built on Naturalism.

Explain.

Do all members of Masonry, and of its affiliated societies approve
all its aims?

According to Pope Leo how is Masonry to be judged?

State the fundamental doctrine of Naturalism.

[ 25 ]



What does Naturalism teach regarding man’s duties to God?

Prove that Masonry wishes to carry out the teachings of Natu-

ralism.

Does Masonry merely advocate disregarding the Church?

Briefly state Masonry’s policy regarding the Church.

Ill

The attacks of Masonry are directed especially against the Vicar

of Christ. First the Pope was deprived of his temporal possessions,

the bulwark of his liberty. Then he was unjustly forced to live in a

condition that can be aptly called unbearable; and now what was

long said secretly in the lodges is openly proclaimed, namely that the

Papacy must be utterly destroyed.

If the candidate for Masonry is not required to abjure his re-

ligion, this is not done out of reverence for religion, but to teach

the great modern error that religion is a matter of indifference and

that all religions are alike. That teaching once accepted would

destroy all religion and especially the one true religion given by

Christ to His Church.

Naturalism denies the existence of God, the spirituality and im-

mortality of the human soul, truths which may be learned by the

light of reason alone. Following this error, Masonry allows its

votaries to accept the existence of God or to reject it. The Supreme

Architect of the universe, the masonic term for God, may mean

anything or nothing.

With this basic truth of God’s existence weakened, all other

truths that human reason can arrive at, soon disappear; namely that

God created all things, that His Providence rules the universe, that

the soul does not die but is destined for an eternal life. With the

vanishing of these truths, private and public morality disappear.

For they are the foundation on which all morality rests. Remove

God from human life and there is no motive for right living, no

meaning to justice or injustice.

Masonry favors the teaching of natural morality and argues for

an education for youth without any religious belief. The results

of this may be seen today wherever the right idea of Christian edu-

cation has been abandoned, due to masonic influence, in the break-

down of morality both public and private (15-19).

QUESTIONS

How has Masonry acted toward the Roman Pontiff?
To Masonry all religions are alike. Explain the consequence of

this.

What does Naturalism teach about the existence of God, the

spirituality and immortality of the soul?

[ 26 ]



Does masonic membership require a belief in God’s existence?

What other important truths hinge on the truth of God’s exist-

ence?

State the sources and principles of all justice and morality.

What is the masonic plan for teaching morality?

Name the effects that have followed, when this plan has been

carried out.

What is the attitude of Naturalism and Masonry toward God’s

revelation ?

What is their position regarding the struggle between passion and

reason ?

What means do they use to lead men to a life of pleasure?

IV

As human nature has been weakened and wounded by Original

Sin, it is more inclined to vice than to virtue, to the law of passion

than to the rule of reason. Naturalism and Masonry both deny

this sad truth. Their teaching exaggerates the power of natural

virtue, and holds that it alone is strong enough to secure the reign

of justice. They will not admit the need of constant struggle to curb

our passions. And so by every agency of propaganda, the press, the

theatre, the arts, men are allured to a life of mere pleasure. Man’s

happiness, they teach, is of the earth, earthy. The light of heaven is

blacked-out from human vision. Once men have become the slaves of

their passions, they will be easily induced by crafty and daring

leaders to carry out any task commanded them. There have been

some among the masonic fraternity who have openly advocated this

perverting program.

In regard to domestic life, the following are the tenets of Natural-

ism. Marriage is a kind of commercial contract, revocable at the

will of the contracting parties. The State has complete jurisdiction

over the marriage bond. In education no religion is to be taught as

certain, but it is to be left to the youth when he comes of age to

select whatever religious belief he chooses.

Masonry endorses these falsehoods and endeavors to incorporate

them into civil law. In many countries, nominally Catholic, laws

have been passed making civil marriage alone lawful, in others

divorce is legalized. So that the time is fast approaching when the

marriage contract will be entered into with the idea of ending it as

soon as the contracting parties so determine. Masonry also attempts

to control the education of youth, and mold it to its own godless

pattern. So the Church is allowed no share in education, and in

many places Masonry has succeeded in placing it entirely in the

hands of laymen, and has banished from moral teaching all mention

of man’s duties to God.

f V }



The political theories of Naturalism sponsored by Masonry hold

that man is the source of all rights, that all men are in every sense

equal, that no man has the right to command another, and that

those holding authority in the State depend completely on the popu-

lar will and may be deposed at its pleasure. God is excluded from

the State and all forms of religion are on an equal footing. This is

the kind of State that Masonry aims at, and for some time past it

has used all its power and resources to accomplish this aim. This of

course is preparing the way for Red Radicalism which wants the

destruction of all ranks in society, the abolition of property, and

common ownership of all goods.

What Masonry means and what it aims at is clear from the

above summary. Its chief dogmas are against human reason. It

is the height of folly and impiety to attempt to destroy the Religion

and Church established by God, and to reestablish paganism. It is

horrible to think that a concerted effort is under way to repudiate all

the benefits that our Lord and Saviour has gained for individuals,

families and for civil society. In this insane and wicked endeavor

we may almost see the vengeful hatred of Satan for Christ (20-25).

QUESTIONS

What advantage would Masonry reap if all men followed its

teachings?

Enumerate Naturalism’s teachings on marriage and education.

How does Masonry regard the influence of the Church in edu-
cation ?

Enumerate Naturalism’s political doctrines on sovereignty and

obedience.

In sponsoring these doctrines Masonry is helping the arrival of

what radical social order?

What does the Pope say of the chief dogmas of Masonry?

What would the effect of these dogmas be on Christian civiliza-

tion?

V

Masonry by joining with the subversive forces that are striving

to undermine the foundations of justice and honesty, and to estab-

lish an era of license that they call liberty, is only helping forward

the ruin of Christian civilization. Domestic and civil society are in

grave danger at this time. For the sacred character of marriage, as

God established it, is constantly attacked by those who would destroy

its permanence, thereby depriving the wife and mother of her dig-

nity, and the children of protection and security. At the same time

there is spreading a dangerous teaching that would exclude God

from any part in civic affairs, just as if He did not exist. Even the

[Ml



I

pagans did not so act, for they believed it would be easier to have

a State without a foundation than a State without God.

The State like the individual comes from God, and the State like

the individual is by nature obliged to honor and worship God. For

God in creating man put into his nature an urge to live together

with his fellow men, that is to establish the State. So it is as

wrong for the State to shut God out of its life, as it is for the

individual to do this. As the State comes from God, and the State

cannot exist without authority, so the authority in the State comes

from God. He then who wields the legitimate authority in the State

is the representative of God, and provided he rules justly, his author-

ity cannot be rejected by the citizens whenever they please.

All men are equal, for God has created all men and given them a

common destiny. They are equal in the rights and duties that belong

to them as creatures and children of God. Men are not equal in

abilities as they differ from one another in mental and physical power.

As star differs from star in beauty, so does man differ from man in

disposition, temperament and character. It is both foolish and un-

reasonable to imagine that men may be leveled down to a common

equality as citizens of the State. Just as in the human body there

is dissimilarity of parts and diversity of functions all contributing

to the unified whole, so in the body politic or the State there are

differences and distinctions between man and man, office and func-

tion, all contributing to the common welfare which is the end or

object of the State.

The errors We have described are a menace to all States. For if

God is not honored and His Laws respected, if lawful authority is

scorned and subversive doctrines encouraged, a complete overturn

of the social order will necessarily follow. Many groups of Socialists

and Communists advocate this. Freemasonry is in accord with it. If

their efforts are not successful it is because the sounder part of men

refuse to be drawn into these secret societies, and because the power

of God’s true religion still prevails.

It would be well if all men could see the origin of the evils that

threaten us. For we are facing a deceitful and crafty enemy who

wins over peoples and their leaders by flattery. Masonry pretending

friendship for the rulers of States, tries to make of them allies for

the destruction of Christianity. Falsely accusing the Church of

endeavoring to infringe upon the rights of rulers, Masonry has at-

tained to great political influence within many governments. With

this power it is ready to bend rulers to its will and is prepared to

depose those rulers who will not carry along government according

to masonic dictates.

Masonry in like manner deceives the people with flattery and

falsehood. For it promises them liberty and prosperity if they will

follow its lead, and declares the Church and the rulers of States

responsible for the people’s poverty. It urges the people to attack

[ 29 ]



both the Church and the civil power. And wherever the deluded

people have followed the masonic lead they have found their last

state worse than their first. For there is no social order that can

bring peace and prosperity to the people unless it is a Christian order.

The Church is wrongly accused of derogating from the civil

power because she directs men to obey God above all. The true

teaching of the Church is Christ’s teaching: “Render to Caesar the

things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.” In

maintaining that all authority is from God, the Church gives dignity

to civil authority, and inspires in citizens true loyalty and obedi-

ence. Mother of men, and friend of peace, the Church is the great

helper of all classes, teaching that justice must be mingled with kind-

ness, equity joined to authority, moderation to legislation. She

maintains the sacredness of each individual’s rights, the tranquillity

of order in the State, and the duty of the State and of private char-

ity to relieve the needs of the poor. It would then be political

wisdom on the part of rulers, and a measure redounding to their

own welfare on the part of the people to join with the Church in

repelling the masonic conspiracy instead of joining with Masonry to

destroy the Church (25-30).

QUESTIONS

How does Masonry agree with and how does it differ from

Paganism?

What is the true teaching of the origin of human society?

Are States as well as individuals bound to honor and worship

God?

What is the origin of authority in the State?

Why is it a duty to obey lawful authority?

Explain the real equality and inequality of men.

Show how the members of the social body resemble the members

of the human body.

If the errors mentioned by Pope Leo are not checked, what

effects will follow?

What is the plan of Socialists and Communists, and how does

Masonry regard it?

Why has this plan not succeeded so far?

How has Masonry won the sympathy of civil rulers?

How will Masonry use its influence in civil affairs?

What has been Masonry’s strategy towards rulers and the people?

How have the people fared under masonic influence?

How does the teaching of the Church add dignity to civil au*

thority?

How does this teaching give a motive for civic obedience?

What should political wisdom dictate regarding this teaching?

[ 30 ]



VI

Whatever the future may be, it is Our present duty to stem the

evils of Masonry. Our best remedy is in that divine religion which

is hated and feared by the masonic sect. So whatever Our Prede-

cessors have decreed against Masonry, and whatever they have en-

acted to deter or withdraw men from secret societies of this kind,

We ratify and confirm by all Our Apostolic authority. And We

plead with all Christians not to depart in the least from what the

Apostolic See has commanded in this matter.

We ask Our fellow-bishops to join with Us in Our efforts to rid

the State of this poison which is creeping through its veins. We ask

the bishops, each in his own diocese, first to unmask Masonry and

let it be seen for what it is. In sermons and pastoral letters the

people should be taught the deceits used by these secret societies to

entice men into their ranks. Their evil theories and actions should

be pointed out. What Our Predecessors have said, We repeat: Let
no Catholic become a Freemason if he values his Faith and his

eternal salvation. Let no man be deceived by any pretense on the

part of the lodges. If it seems that they demand nothing that is

contrary to religion and morality, it must be realized that the prin-

ciples and objects of these secret societies are vicious and criminal,

and so it is unlawful to join them or help them in any way.

There is need too of giving the people by sermons and writings

a better knowledge of the teachings of their Faith, so that they will

be protected against the assaults of error. Clergy and laity should

unite in deepening their knowledge of and love for the Church. Thus

equipped they will not be deceived by the appeal of the secret

societies.

We earnestly urge the spread of the Third Order of St. Francis as

an antidote to the spread of secret societies. For this Order wins

men to the imitation of Christ by the practice of the virtues He

taught, and inspires them with love for His holy Church. Herein

men will learn true liberty, equality and fraternity, which Christ

Himself obtained for mankind and to which the gentle St. Francis

aspired. It is the liberty of the sons of God, by which men are

freed from the slavery of Satan, sin and disordered passions. It is

the fraternity of God the common Creator and Father of all. It is

the equality founded on justice and charity, that out of a variety

of duties and offices in the State, unifies all for the common good.

Workmen’s associations should be formed under the guidance of

the bishops and priests, modelled on the ancient guilds, to look after

the spiritual and temporal welfare of workers. Catholic societies are

the best answer to the dangerous allurements of secret societies.

It is good to know that a start has been made in forming such

groups. And We wish to commend here the work and aim of the

St. Vincent de Paul Society in its apostolate among the needy.

[ 31 ]



We strongly urge bishops and priests to safeguard the education

of youth. Warn the young against the evil that lies hidden in secret

societies, and urge them never to join any society without consult-

ing their parents and spiritual guides.

All our efforts will be in vain, however, without divine help.

Masonry and its evils must be met by a world-wide front of men

of good will, united in action and prayer. We must all pray God

that Christian truth may prevail over error, Christian virtue over

vice, that the Church of Christ may enjoy liberty, and that her wan-

dering children may quickly return to her fold. Invoking the aid of

our Blessed Mother, St. Joseph, St. Michael, St. Peter, St. Paul and

the great Fathers and Defenders of the Faith, our prayers will move

the mercy of God to help the children of men, beset as they are by

so many dangers (30-39).

QUESTIONS

The Pope advises priests and bishops to meet Masonry in what

manner ?

The Pope characterizes Masonry’s principle and object in what

two words?

How does Pope Leo regard the actions of his Predecessors towards
Masonry ?

What does the Pope say to the Catholic about joining a masonic

lodge ?

The Pope proposes a united front against Masonry. Who are

to form it?

What does Pope Leo say of the Third Order of St. Francis?

Explain the liberty, fraternity and equality that is true.

What does the Pope say of the ancient guilds of workers?

What Church society does the Pope commend for work among

the needy?

To whom does the Pope ask the bishops to devote special care?
What methods are to be used by teachers of the young and what

counsel given?

State in your own words the Pope’s appeal for a united front

of action and prayer.

Discussion Club Outline:

Imprimi Potest:

James P. Sweeney, S.J.,

Provincial.

[ 32 ] B1





Popularized Editions of the

Great Social Encyclicals . . .

THE VOICE OF THE VICAR OF CHRIST
SERIES

Father Gerald C. Treacy, S.J., has specialized for years in the
teaching of the Papal Encyclicals. Realizing the need for simpli-
fied editions of these great documents so that their principles may
be taught in the grammar grades he has prepared these new pam-
phlets. He says “The Encyclical teachings are precious gems of
TRUTH encased in the long sentences and long paragraphs of the
Latin language. The simplified edition places these gems of God’s
Truth, in the setting of another language. We appreciate the beauty
of the gem in a familiar setting. When the reader has appreciated
the teachings of the Encyclical in its simplified setting, he will be
ready to turn to the complete edition with interest and profit.’’

PRAYING WITH CHRIST (Mediator Dei)
Pope Pius XII

CHRISTIAN STATE OR PAGAN CHAOS (Immortale Dei)
Pope Leo XIII

LIBERTY—MAN'S GREATEST GIFT (Human Liberty)
Pope Leo XIII

HEAVEN'S BEGINNING (Mystici Corporis Christi)

Pope Pius XII

LABOR'S CHARTER OF LIBERTY (Rerum Novarum)
Pope Leo XIII

GOD AND LIBERTY AGAINST SATAN AND SLAVERY
(Divini Redemptoris)

Pope Pius XI

REBUILDING SOCIETY'S SOCIAL ORDER (Quadragesimo Anno)

Pope Pius XI

LOVE UNDYING (Casti Connubii)
Pope Pius XI

EDUCATION: TRUE OR FALSE (Divini lllius Magistri)

Pope Pius XI

These pamphlets will be welcomed by the many who have long
sought a simplified presentation of the papal statements as well a^s

by teachers who know that an elementary knowledge of these prin-
ciples should be taught in our schools. Questionnaires are appended.

10 cents each, $8.00 the hundred

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