A major center of Freemasonry in Italy joined today in mourning the death of “Pope” Francis who, it said, “embodied the values of brotherhood, humility and the search for a planetary humanism.” From an official statement by Luciano Romoli, Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Italy of the ALAM:
“THE Grand Lodge of Italy of the Ancient, Free, Accepted Masons joins in the universal mourning for the passing of Pope Francis , a pastor who, with his teaching and his life, embodied the values of brotherhood , humility and the search for a planetary humanism . Coming from the “end of the world”, Jorge Mario Bergoglio was able to change the Church, bringing the revolutionary teaching of Saint Francis of Assisi back to the present of history.
In this moment of mourning, our Communion intends to pay homage to the vision of Pope Francis , whose work is characterized by a profound resonance with the principles of Freemasonry : the centrality of the person, respect for the dignity of each individual, the construction of a supportive community, the pursuit of the common good . His encyclical Fratelli tutti represents a manifesto. Freedom, Equality and Brotherhood is the triple value asset of Freemasonry. Overcoming divisions, ideologies, single thought to recognize the richness of differences and build a humanity united in diversity , this is what Francis ardently wanted, the same plan is pursued by the Grand Lodge of Italy.”
Kudos to the Lodge for doing a remarkable job of describing Francis’s “pontificate:”
Pope Francis has been able to combine faith and reason , complementary dimensions of human experience, renewing the Anselmian principle of “credo ut intelligam” . A faith capable of questioning, of welcoming doubt and of dialogue , which we also find in the Masonic initiatory method , founded on a path free from dogmas, substantiated by the incessant search for truth .
The pontificate of Francis has placed the last at the center , together with the care of the planet and an ethic of development based on human dignity . This too can be found in the Masonic construction of the “Inner Temple” , based on tolerance, solidarity and resistance against hatred and ignorance , and finds a profound correspondence in the pastoral work of Bergoglio, who with his “gentle revolution” , has shown that humility and dialogue are instruments of authentic strength . In the wake of the “Francesco Economy” and the vision of a “common home” , Freemasonry supports the commitment to a sustainable, fair and supportive future .
These delighted Masons do not disguise their approval. I guess ignorance is so pervasive now, it really doesn’t matter. The Masonic Lodge of Argentina also released a statement.
The Catholic Church has historically been the chief enemy and target of Freemasonry. By way of contrast, here are words of Pope Leo XIII, who was never lauded for his “planetary humanism,” denouncing Freemasonry in his Bull Humanum Genus of 1884:
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 body politic. You have to defend the glory of God and the salvation of your neighbour; and with the object 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 obstacles you meet with. But, as it befits the authority of Our office that We Ourselves should point out some suitable 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 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 principle and object of the sect lies in what is vicious and criminal, to join with these men or in any way to help them cannot be lawful.
The Vatican II Church has from its very inception blended the innocent-sounding goals of Freemasonry with avowals of Catholicism. And so it has led millions of unsuspecting believers merrily through the Lodge door.
