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Given by His
Holiness Pope Leo XIII
December 8, 1892
To the Italian
People.
1. 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 scepter 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?
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, and in the more recent one of
October 15, 1890, 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?
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.
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.
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, witting
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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
anti-papal 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.
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