masons, templars and vatican charges, freemasons, knights

Masons, Templars and Vatican Charges

Masons, Templars and Vatican Charges

It is well known that the Vatican used trumped-up charges against the Templars in 1307 when many of those men were arrested. But what about the Roman Church's charges against Masons in the years that followed? And what do those attacks tell us about all three of these secretive societies?

In 1884 the church's charges against Freemasons were summed up by Pope Leo XIII in his official letter Humanum genus. The Vatican had long supported the divine right of kings. With that in mind, we can see why the Vatican was so upset when it accused Masons of the following terrible things.

Then come their doctrines of politics, in which [they] 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 themselves. 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.

Consider that George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and other founding fathers of the USA were Masons. Those charges are then seen to be consistent with what we know about these American Masons.

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Consider also that when the Knights Templar were attacked by the king of France, Pope Clement V came into the fray on the side of the king and against his own men. This is also consistent with Pope Leo's actions against the Masons.

Yet motivations are not always clearly seen, and epic events such as these -- in which hundreds of Templars were burned at the stake and millions of Masons saw their reputations damaged -- cannot be painted in black and white. 

To discover how these strange things came about, the book Freemasonry: The Lost Secrets traced the roots and growing strength of all three of these secretive societies. It followed the people and events that shaped them -- for better or worse -- and set these societies on the courses they followed. 

It turns out that there was a wealth of original manuscripts and records available that date from the time of these events in the 1700s, the 1300s and even earlier. The effort required to assemble and make sense of all those documents now bears fruit by showing the "lost" years of those societies in vivid color and detail. Whether we think that what happened was right or wrong, we come to experience it alongside the people who lived through those epic events, often told in their own words. They caused large impacts on the world that still affect our life today.

….if any man appear though altogether unknown that can shew any of these signes to a Fellow of the Society, whom they otherwise call an accepted mason, he is obliged presently to come to him, from what company or place soever he be in….

1686 Testimony

Vatican Knights Templar Freemasons

Masons Templars Vatican Charges

Templars being burned

at the stake

Pope Leo XIII

George Washington

Benjamin Franklin

Jacques DeMolay

Vatican in Rome