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CUSTODI DI QUELLA FEDE
ENCYCLICAL OF POPE LEO XIII
ON FREEMASONRY
To the Italian People.
Deplorable Conditions in Italy
Guardians of that faith to which the Christian
nations owe their morality and civil redemption, We must dutifully
discharge each one of Our supreme tasks. Therefore We must raise Our
voice in loud protestations against the impious war which tries to
take such a precious treasure away from you, beloved children. Already
taught by long and sorrowful experience, you know well the terrible
trials of this war, you who deplore it in your hearts as Catholics and
as Italians. Can one be Italian in name and sentiment and not resent
these continual offenses against divine beliefs? These beliefs are the
most beautiful of our glories, for they gave to Italy its primacy over
the other nations and to Rome the spiritual sceptre of the world. They
likewise made the wonderful edifice of Christian civilization rise
over the ruins of paganism and barbarism.
Can we be Catholic in mind and heart and gaze with
dry eyes on that land where our wondrous Redeemer deigned to establish
the seat of His kingdom? Now We see His teachings attacked and His
reverence outraged, His Church embattled and His Vicar opposed. So
many souls redeemed by His blood are now lost, the choicest portion of
His flock, a people faithful to Him for nineteen centuries. How can We
bear to look upon His chosen people exposed to a constant and
ever-present danger of apostasy, pushed toward error and vice,
material miseries, and moral degradation?
Threat of Masonry
2. This war is directed at the same time against
the heavenly and the earthly kingdoms, against the faith of our
ancestors and the culture which they handed on to us. It is thus
doubly evil, being guilty of a divine offense no less than a human
one. Is its chief source not that very masonic sect which We discussed
at length in the encyclical Humanum genus of April 20, 1884,1 and in
the more recent one of October 15, 1890,2 addressed to the bishops,
the clergy and the Italian people? With these two letters We tore from
the face of masonry the mask which it used to hide itself and We
showed it in its crude deformity and dark fatal activity.
3. We shall restrict Ourselves now to its
deplorable effects on Italy. For a long time now it has bored its way
under the deceitful guise of a philanthropic society and redeemer of
the Italian people. By way of conspiracies, corruptions, and violences,
it has finally come to dominate Italy and even Rome. To what troubles,
to what calamities has it opened the way in a little more than thirty
years?
Troubles Caused by Masonry
4. Our country has seen and suffered great evils in
such a short span of time, for the faith of our fathers has been made
a sign for persecutions of every sort. The satanic intent of the
persecutors has been to substitute naturalism for Christianity, the
worship of reason for the worship of faith, so-called independent
morality for Catholic morality, and material progress for spiritual
progress. To the holy maxims and laws of the Gospel, they have opposed
laws and maxims which can be called the code of revolution. They have
also opposed an atheistic doctrine and a vile realism to school,
science, and the Christian arts. Having invaded the temple of the
Lord, they have squandered the booty of the Church's goods, the
greatest part of the inheritance necessary for the ministers, and
reduced the number of priests by the conscription of clerics beyond
the limits of extreme need. If the administration of the sacraments
could not be impeded, they sought nonetheless to introduce and promote
civil marriages and funerals. If they have not yet succeeded in
seizing control of education and the direction of charitable
institutions, they always aim with perseverance to laicize everything,
which is to remove the mark of Christianity from it. If they could not
silence the voice of the Catholic press, they made every effort to
discredit and revile it.
Contradictions in the Masonic Program
5. In this battle against the Catholic religion,
what partiality and contradictions there are! They closed monasteries
and convents, but they let multiply at will masonic lodges and
sectarian dens. They proclaimed the right of association, while the
legal rights which all kinds of organizations use and abuse are denied
to religious societies. They proclaim freedom of religion and reserve
odious intolerance and vexations precisely for the religion of the
Italians-which, for that reason, should be assured respect and a
special protection. They made protests and great promises for the
protection of the dignity and independence of the pope, but you see
their daily contempt of Our person. All kinds of public shows find an
open field; yet this or that Catholic demonstration is either
prohibited or disturbed. They encourage schisms, apostasies, and
revolts against legitimate superiors in the Church. Religious vows and
especially religious obedience are rebuked as contrary to human
dignity and freedom, while impious associations which bind their
followers by wicked oaths and demand blind, absolute obedience in
crime are allowed to flourish with impunity.
The Spirit of Masonry
6. We do not wish to exaggerate the masonic power
by attributing to its direct and immediate action all the evils which
presently preoccupy Us. However, you can clearly see its spirit in the
facts which We have just recorded and in many others which We could
recall. That spirit, which is the implacable enemy of Christ and of
the Church, tries all ways, uses all arts, and prevails upon all
means. It seizes from the Church its first-born daughter and seizes
from Christ His favored nation, the seat of His Vicar on earth and the
center of Catholic unity. To see the evil and efficacious influence of
this spirit on our affairs, We have more than a few fleeting
indications and the series of facts which have succeeded themselves
for thirty years. Proud of its successes, the sect herself has spoken
out and told us all its past accomplishments and future goals. It
regards the public powers as its instruments, wining or not, which is
to say that the impious sect boasts as one of its principal works the
religious persecution which has troubled and is troubling our Italy.
Though often executed by other hands, this persecution is inspired and
promoted by masonry, in an immediate or mediate, direct or indirect
manner, by flattery or threats, seduction or revolution.
Social Evils of Masonry
7. The road is very short from religious to social
ruin. The heart of man is no longer raised to heavenly hopes and
loves; capable and needing the infinite, it throws itself insatiably
on the goods of this earth. Inevitably there is a perpetual struggle
of avid passions to enjoy, become rich, and rise. Then we encounter a
large and inexhaustible source of grudges, discords, corruptions, and
crimes. In our Italy there was no lack of moral and social disorders
before the present events-but what a sorrowful spectacle we see in our
days! That loving respect which forms domestic harmony is
substantially diminished; paternal authority is too often unrecognized
by children and parents alike. Disagreements are frequent, divorce
common. Civil discords and resentful anger between the various orders
increase every day in the cities. New generations which grew up in a
spirit of misunderstood freedom are unleashed in the cities,
generations which do not respect anything from above or below. The
cities teem with incitements to vice, precocious crimes, and public
scandals. The state should be content with the high and noble office
of recognizing, protecting, and helping divine and human rights in
their harmonious universality. Now, however, the state believes itself
almost a judge and disowns these rights or restricts them at will.
Finally, the general social order is undermined at its foundations.
Books and journals, schools and universities, clubs and theaters,
monuments and political discourse, photographs and the fine arts,
everything conspires to pervert minds and corrupt hearts. Meanwhile
the oppressed and suffering people tremble and the anarchic sects
arouse themselves. The working classes raise their heads and go to
swell the ranks of socialism, communism, and anarchy. Characters
exhaust themselves and many souls, no longer knowing how to suffer
nobly nor how to redeem themselves manfully, take their lives with
cowardly suicide.
8. Such are the fruits which the masonic sect has
borne to us Italians. And after that it yearns to come before you,
extolling its merits towards . Italy. It likewise yearns to give Us
and all those who, heeding Our words, remain faithful to Jesus Christ,
the calumnious title of enemies of the state. The facts reveal the
merits of this guilty sect toward our peninsula, "merits"
which bear repeating. The facts say that masonic patriotism is no less
than sectarian egotism which yearns to dominate everything,
particularly the modern states which unite and concentrate everything
in their hands. The facts say that in the plans of masonry, the names
of political independence, equality, civilization, and progress aimed
to facilitate the independence of man from God in our country. From
them, license of error and vice and union of faction at the expense of
other citizens have grown. The easy and delicious enjoyment of life by
the world's fortunate is nurtured in the same source. A people
redeemed by divine blood have thus returned to divisions, corruptions,
and the shames of paganism.
Evil Nature of Masonry
9. That does not surprise Us.-After nineteen
centuries of Christian civilization, this sect tries to overthrow the
Catholic Church and to cut off its divine sources. It absolutely
denies the supernatural, repudiating every revelation and all the
means of salvation which revelation shows us. Through its plans and
works, it bases itself solely and entirely on such a weak and corrupt
nature as ours. Such a sect cannot be anything other than the height
of pride, greed, and sensuality. Now, pride oppresses, greed plunders,
and sensuality corrupts. When these three concupiscences are brought
to the extreme, the oppressions, greed, and seductive corruptions
spread slowly. They take on boundless dimensions and become the
oppression, plundering and source of corruption of an entire people.
10. Let Us then show you masonry as an enemy of
God, Church, and country. Recognize it as such once and for
all, and with all the weapons which reason, conscience, and faith put
in your hands, defend yourselves from such a proud foe. Let no one be
taken in by its attractive appearance or allured by its promises; do
not be seduced by its enticements or frightened by its threats.
Remember that Christianity and masonry are essentially irreconcilable,
such that to join one is to divorce the other. You can no longer
ignore such incompatibility between Catholic and mason, beloved
children: you have been warned openly by Our predecessors, and We have
loudly repeated the warning.
Christian Response to Masonry
11. Those who, by some supreme misfortune, have
given their name to one of these societies of perdition should know
that they are strictly bound to separate themselves from it. Otherwise
they must remain separated from Christian communion and lose their
soul now and for eternity. Parents, teachers, godparents, and whoever
has care of others should also know that a rigorous duty binds them to
keep their wards from this guilty sect or to draw them from it if they
have already entered.
12. In a matter of such importance and where the
seduction is so easy in these times, it is urgent that the Christian
watch himself from the beginning. He should fear the least danger,
avoid every occasion, and take the greatest precautions. Use all the
prudence of the serpent, while keeping in your heart the simplicity of
the dove, according to the evangelical counsel. Fathers and mothers
should be wary of inviting strangers into their homes or admitting
them to domestic intimacy, at least insofar as their faith is not
sufficiently known. They should try to first ascertain that an astute
recruiter of the sect does not hide himself in the guise of a friend,
teacher, doctor or other benefactor. Oh, in how many families has the
wolf penetrated in sheep's clothing!
Masonic Threat to Groups
13. It is beautiful to see the varied groups which
arise everywhere today in every order of social life: worker groups,
groups of mutual aid and social security, organizations to promote
science, arts, letters, and other similar things. When they are
inspired by a good moral and religious spirit, these groups certainly
prove to be useful and proper. But because the masonic poison has
penetrated and continues to penetrate here also, especially here, any
groups that remove themselves from religious influence should be
generally suspect. They can easily be directed and more or less
dominated by masons, becoming the sowing-ground and the apprenticeship
of the sect in addition to providing assistance to it.
14. Women should not join philanthropic societies
whose nature and purpose are not well-known without first seeking
advice from wise and experienced people. That talkative philanthropy
which is opposed to Christian charity with such pomp is often the
passport for masonic business.
15. Everyone should avoid familiarity or friendship
with anyone suspected of belonging to masonry or to affiliated groups.
Know them by their fruits and avoid them. Every familiarity should be
avoided, not only with those impious libertines who openly promote the
character of the sect, but also with those who hide under the mask of
universal tolerance, respect for all religions, and the craving to
reconcile the maxims of the Gospel with those of the revolution. These
men seek to reconcile Christ and Belial, the Church of God and the
state without God.
16. Every Christian should shun books and journals which distill
the poison of impiety and which stir up the fire of unrestrained
desires or sensual passions. Groups and reading clubs where the
masonic spirit stalks its prey should be likewise shunned.
The Offensive Against Masonry
17. In addition, since we are dealing with a sect
which has pervaded everything, it is not enough to remain on the
defensive. We must courageously go out into the battlefield and
confront it. That is what you will do, beloved children, opposing
press to press, school to school, organization to organization,
congress to congress, action to action.
18. Masonry has taken control of the public
schools, leaving private schools, paternal schools, and those directed
by zealous ecclesiastics and religious of both sexes to compete in the
education of Christian youth. Christian parents especially should not
entrust the education of their children to uncertain schools. Masonry
has confiscated the inheritance of public charity; fill the void,
then, with the treasure of private relief. It has placed pious works
in the hands of its followers, so you should entrust those that depend
on you to Catholic institutions. It opens and maintains houses of
vice, leaving you to do what is possible to open and maintain shelters
for honesty in danger. An anti-Christian press in religious and
secular matters militates at its expense, so that your effort and
money are required by the Catholic press. Masonry establishes
societies of mutual help and credit unions for its partisans; you
should do the same not only for your brothers but for all the
indigent. This will show that true and sincere charity is the daughter
of the One who makes the sun to rise and the rain to fall on the just
man and sinner alike.
19. May this struggle between good and evil extend
to everything, and may good prevail. Masonry holds frequent meetings
to plan new ways to combat the Church, and you should hold them
frequently to better agree on the means and order of defense. It
multiplies its lodges, so that you should multiply Catholic clubs and
parochial groups, promote charitable associations and prayer
organizations, and maintain and increase the splendor of the temple of
God. The sect, having nothing to fear, today shows its face to the
light of day. You Italian Catholics should also make open profession
of your faith and follow the example of your glorious ancestors who
confessed their faith bravely before tyrants, torture, and death. What
more? Does the sect try to enslave the Church and to put it at the
feet of the state as a humble servant? You must then demand and claim
for it the freedom and independence due it before the law. Does
masonry seek to tear apart Catholic unity, sowing discord even in the
clergy itself, arousing quarrels, fomenting strife, and inciting
insubordination, revolt, and schism? By tightening the sacred bond of
charity and obedience, you can thwart its plans, bring to naught its
efforts, and disappoint its hopes. Be all of one heart and one mind,
like the first Christians. Gathered around the See of Peter and united
to your pastors, protect the supreme interests of church and papacy,
which are just as much the supreme interests of Italy and of all the
Christian world. The Apostolic See has always been the inspirer and
jealous guardian of Italian glory. Therefore, be Italians and
Catholics, free and non-sectarian, faithful to the nation as well as
to Christ and His visible Vicar. An anti-Christian and antipapal Italy
would truly be opposed to the divine plan, and thus condemned to
perish.
20. Beloved children, faith and state speak to you
at this time through Us. Listen to their cry, arise together and fight
manfully the battles of the Lord. May the number, boldness, and
strength of the enemy not frighten you, because God is stronger than
they; if God is for you, who can be against you?
21. Redouble your prayers so that God might be with
you in a greater abundance of grace, fighting and triumphing with you.
Accompany your prayers with the practice of the Christian virtues,
especially charity toward the needy. Seek God's mercies with humility
and perseverance, renewing every day the promises of your baptism.
22. As a pledge of these things and as a sign of
Our paternal love, We bestow on you Our apostolic blessing, beloved
children.
Given in Rome at Saint Peter's, the eighth day of
December, 1892, in the fifteenth year of Our pontificate.
LEO XIII
Source: http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/leo_xiii/encyclicals/documents/
hf_l-xiii_enc_08121892_custodi-di-quella-fede_en.html
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