MASONBY
787
MASONBY
ble abuse. Even the Masonic modes of recognition,
which are represented as the principal and only essen-
tial "secret of Masonry, are published in many
printed books. Hence the real ' * secrets ** of Masonry,
if such there be, could only be political or anti-reli-
^ous conspiracies like the plots of the Grand Lodges
m Latin countries. But such secrets, condemned, at
least theoretically, by Anglo-American Masons them-
selves, would render the oath or obligation only the
more immoral and therefore null and void. Thus in
every respect the Masonic oaths are not only sacrile-
gious but also an abuse contrary to public order which
requires that solemn oaths and obligations as the
principal means to maintain veracity and faithfulness
m the State and in human society, should not be vili-
fied or caricatured. In Masonry the oath is further
degraded by its form which includes the most atro-
cious penalties, for the "violation of obligations
which do not even exist; a "violation** which, in
truth may be and in many cases is an imperative duty.
(4) The danger which such societies involve for the
security and "tranquility of the State" and for " the
spiritual health of souls*', and conseouently their in-
compatibility with civil and canonical law. For even
admitting that some Masonic associations pursued for
themselves no purposes contrary to religion and to pub-
lic order, they would be nevertheless contrary to
public order, because by their very existence as secret
societies based on the Masonic principles, thc^' encour-
age and promote the foundation of other really dan-
gerous secret societies and render difficult, if not
impossible, efficacious action of the civil and ecclesi-
astical authorities against them.
Of the other papal edicts only some characteristic utterances need be mentioned. Benedict XIV ap- peals more urgently to Catholic princes and civil pow- ers to obtain their assistance in the struggle against Freemasonry. Pius VII condemns the secret society of the Carbonari which, if not an offshoot, is "cer- tainly an imitation of the Masonic society** and, as such, already comprised in the condemnation issued against it. Leo All deplores the fact, that the civil powers had not heeded the earlier papal decrees, and in consequence out of the old Masonic societies even more dcm^erous sects had sprung. Among them the " Uni- versitarian ** is mentioned as most pernicious. " It is to be deemed certain**, says the pope, "that these secret societies are linked together by the bond of the same criminal purposes.'* Gregory XVI similarly de- clares that the calamities of the age were due princi- pEilIy to the conspiracy of secret societies, and like Leo 5CII, deplores the religious indifferentism and the false ideas of tolerance propagated by secret societies. Pius IX (Allocution, 1865) characterizes Freemasonry as an insidious, fraudulent and perverse organization injurious both to religion and to society; and condemns anew "this Masonic and other similar societies, which differing only in appearance coalesce constantly and openly or secretly plot against the Church or lawful authority**. Leo XIII (1884) says: "There are vari- ous sects, which although differing in name, rite, form, and origin, are nevertheless soimited by community of purposes and by similarity of their main principles as to be really one with the Masonic sect, which is a kind of centre, whence they all proceed and whither they all return.*' The ultimate purpose of Freemasonry is "the overthrow of the whole religious, political, and social order based on Christian institutions and the establishment of a new state of things according to their own ideas and based in its principles and laws on pure Naturalism."
In view of these several reasons Catholics since 1738 are, under penalty of excommunication, incurred ipso facto f and reserved to the pope, strictly forbidden to enter or promote in any way Masonic societies. The law now in force (Const. "Apostolicae Sedis", 1869, Cap. ii, n. 24) pronounces excommunication upon
"those who enter Masonic or Carbonarian or other
sects of the same kind, which, openly or secretly, plot
against the Church or lawful authonty and those who
in any way favour these sects or do not denoimce their
leaders and principal members.** Under this head
mention must also be made of the " Practical Instruc-
tion of the Congreg. of the Inquisition, 7 May^ 1884
'de Secta Massonum*** (Acta SanctsB Sedis, \VIII,
43-47) and of the decrees of the Provincial Coimcils of
Baltimore, 1840; New Orleans, 1856; Quebec, 1851,
1868; of the first Council of the English Colonies, 1854;
and particularly of the Plenary Councils of Baltimore,
1866 and 1884 (see "Collect. Lacensis*', III, 1875 and
" Acta et deer. Concil. plen. Bait. Ill **, 1884). These
documents refer mainlv to the application of the papal
decrees according to the peculiar condition of the re-
spective ecclesiastical provinces. The Third Council
of Baltimore, n . 254 sq. , states the method of ascertain-
ing whether or not a society is to be regarded as com-
prised in the papal condemnation of Freemasonry. It
reserves the final decision thereon to a commission
consisting of all the archbishops of the ecclesiastical
provinces represented in the council, and, if they can-
not reach a imanimous conclusion, refers to the Holy
oee.
These papal edicts and censures against Freema^ sonry have often been the occasion of erroneous and unjust charges. The excommunication was inter- preted as an "imprecation** that cursed all Free- masons and doomeid them to perdition. In truth an excommunication is simply an ecclesiastical penalty, by which members of the Church should be aeterrea from acts that are criminal according to ecclesiastical law. The pope and the bishops, therefore, as faithful pastors of Christ's flock, cannot but condemn Free- masonry. They would betray, as Clement XII stated, their most sacred duties, if they did not oppose with all their power the insidious propagation and activity of such societies in Catholic countries or with respect to Catholics in mixed and Protestant countries. Free- masonry systematically promotes religious indifferent- ism ana undermines true, i. e., orthodox Christian and Catholic Faith and life. Freemasonry is essen- tially Naturalism and hence opposed to all supematu- ralism. As to some particular charges of I^ XIII (1884) challenged by Freemasons, e. g.,the atheistical character of Freemasonry, it must be remarked, that the pope considers the activity of Masonic and similar societies as a whole, applying to it the term which designates the most of tnese societies and among the Masonic groups those, which push the so-called "anti- clerical", in reality irreligious and revolutionary, principles of Freemasonry logically to their ultimate consequences and thus, in truth, are, as it were, the advanced outposts and standard-bearers of the whole immense anti-Catholic and anti-papal army in the world-wide spiritual warfare of our a^e. In this sense also the pope, in accordance with a fundamental bib- lical and evangelical view developed by St. Augustine in his " De ci vitate Dei * ' , like the Masonic poet Carducci in his * *H3nnn to Satan ",considers Satan as the supreme spiritual chief of this hostile army. Thus Leo XIII (1884) expressly states: " What we say, must be under% stood of the Masonic sect in the universal acceptation of the term, as it comprises all kindred and associated societies, but not of their single members. There may be persons amongst these, and not a few, who, al- though not free from the ^It of having entangled themselves in such associations, yet are neither them- selves partners in their criminal acts nor aware of the ultimate object which these associations are endeav- ouring to attain. Similarly some of the several bodies of the association may perhaps by no means approve of certain extreme conclusions, which they woula con- sistently accept as necessarily following from the gen- eral principles common to all, were they not deterred by the vicious character of the conclusions.** "The
