Lucio Artini
A Preliminary Note
For the meeting in Cecina, I prepared a slideshow and based my presentation on the images and words contained therein, as is my usual practice. Due to issues related to the publication of this presentation, I was asked to develop a written text, which is inevitably longer than the material contained in the slides I had previously prepared and which will in any case be attached to this text.
The conference was a success, with over 50 attendees who followed the presentations with great attention. However, I noticed some notable absences, perhaps due to chance, although I suspect they may indicate a certain disinterest, confirmed by the fact that none of the absent participants asked me any questions afterwards.
In particular, almost all the members of famous London organizations and lodges, as well as those affiliated with larger Masonic organizations, were absent.
Our idea, on the other hand, has been taken up with authority: a meeting will be held between representatives of Reformed Churches, Jews, Hindus, and Muslims to discuss the relations between Freemasonry and religions on the “Solomon Live” platform of the United Grand Lodge of England. The event is entitled “Freemasonry & the Faiths”. In April 2025 of the following year, a similar conference will be held in Sarajevo.
There were two important proposals in our conference:
• to highlight the dialogue between Freemasonry and religious confessions, shifting the focus of attention from the Catholic Church to other Faiths, where, despite some problems, no one has ever thought of excommunicating Freemasonry;
• to make clear the fact that in the environments of regular Freemasonry the dialogue between Jews and Muslims is always open and possible.
When instead, unfortunately, Europe seems to have sided with those sectors of Islam that want to destroy Israel.
These proposals, however, seem to be of little interest to many Italian Freemasons, who have a different vision of the role of Freemasonry, often seen as a mere formal ritual.
The Quatuor Coronati Research Lodge of London has organized numerous conferences dedicated to the historical role of Freemasonry. Despite this, many Italian Freemasons, especially those who claim to be linked to the English tradition, seem disinterested in these events. Even the books of Ric Berman, one of the leading experts on Masonic history, are little known in Italy.
In the void of shared content, both historical analysis and esoteric analysis, it could end up that everyone puts the content that best serves their own interests.
How the idea of a Conference was born
In February 2024, a meeting was held between representatives of some of the main Italian Masonic Communions and representatives of the Catholic Church. On February 20, 2024, we met in London to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Certes Lodge. Christians of various denominations, Muslims, Jews, and Hindus were present. The emony proceeded peacefully, with an Italian Worshipful Master succeeded by a Nigerian Worshipful Master. There were never any problems in the coexistence of people belonging to various religious confessions. From this observation, the idea for this meeting was born: to make known in Italy the many different points of view compared to those of the Catholic Church and local Freemasonry.
The Excommunication of Clement XII on April 28, 1738: a surprising continuity from the 18th Century to the Present
The First Excommunication:
With the Bull ‘In Eminenti Apostolatus Specula’ published on April 28, 1738, Pope Clement XII excommunicated Freemasonry. The preamble to the Bull states:
‘Condemnatio Societas seu conventicularum, vulgo De’ liberi muratori, aut Des francs massons, sub poenà excommunicationis ipso facto incurrend, eius absolutione, excepto mortis articulo, Summo Pontifici reservatà’.
The text of the Bull that we are examining is taken from the Bullarium Diplomatum et Privilegiorum Sanctorum Romanorum Pontificum”.
In my analysis, the act seems to be motivated primarily by political reasons rather than by a clear understanding and condemnation of the rituals and content expressed through them.
The Pope excommunicates Freemasonry as if it were a Christian heresy, a Catholic organization that has deviated from the correct doctrine of the Church of Rome. Let us examine the text of the Papal Bull:
“It has already come to Our knowledge through public rumor that certain Societies, Unions, Assemblies, Meetings, Conventicles, or Associations commonly called Freemasons or Francs-Maçons, or by other names according to the variety of languages, are spreading in every direction and growing stronger day by day. In these, men of every religion and sect unite with each other through a strict and secret alliance, according to their own Laws and Statutes, content with a certain affected appearance of natural honesty. Such Societies, bound by solemn oaths sworn on the Holy Scriptures, and under penalty of severe punishments, are obliged to maintain an inviolable silence about the things they do secretly… Such fame has grown so considerable that these Societies have already been proscribed by secular Princes in many countries as enemies of the Kingdoms, and have been prudently eliminated.”
“Therefore, meditating upon the very grave harm that such Societies or Conventicles inflict, not only upon the tranquility of the temporal Commonwealth, but also upon the spiritual health of souls, inasmuch as they accord in no way with either the Civil or the Canon Laws; instructed by the Divine words to watch night and day, as a faithful and prudent servant set over the household of the Lord, lest this race of men should plunder the house as thieves, nor as foxes spoil the vineyard; lest, that is to say, they corrupt the hearts of the simple or secretly wound the innocent; with the purpose of closing the road which, if opened, might impunely permit crimes; for other just and reasonable motives known to Us, with the advice of some of Our Venerable Brethren Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church, and moreover of Our own motion, with certain knowledge, mature deliberation, and with the fullness of Our Apostolic power, We decree that it is necessary to condemn and prohibit, and by this Our Constitution, which shall be perpetual, We do condemn and prohibit the aforesaid Societies, Unions, Assemblies, Meetings, Aggregations, or Conventicles of Freemasons or Francs-Maçons, or by whatever other name they may be called. Wherefore, we strictly command, and in virtue of holy obedience, all and singular the faithful of whatsoever state, degree, condition, order, dignity, or preeminence, whether Lay or Clerical”
Freemasonry is to be condemned because it permits ‘men of every religion and sect to unite among themselves,’ and this is both harmful to ‘the tranquility of the temporal Commonwealth, and to the spiritual health of souls.’ The condemnation was total: ‘We decree that it is necessary to condemn and prohibit, and by this Our Constitution, which shall be perpetual, We do condemn and prohibit.’ Furthermore, the Bull imposed excommunication ‘under penalty of excommunication for all transgressors, as above, to be incurred ipso facto, and without any declaration, from which no one can be absolved, except at the point of death, by anyone other than the Roman Pontiff for the time being.’
The secret nature of the Masonic lodges, the oaths sworn on the Bible, and the shared concern of secular powers that had already acted against Freemasonry were all highlighted as reasons for condemnation. Freemasonry was seen as a threat both to secular power and to spiritual well-being. The Bull also cited ‘other motives known to Us but not declared,’ suggesting that there were additional, unspecified reasons for the condemnation.
Thus, Freemasonry was excommunicated and subjected to the same treatment as heretics, which could include the penalties and tortures of the Inquisition, even leading to the death penalty.
“Moreover, We command that both the Bishops, Superiors, and other Ordinaries of places, as well as the Inquisitors of heretical pravity deputed in any place, proceed and make inquisition against the transgressors of whatsoever state, degree, condition, order, dignity, or preeminence, and that they repress and punish the same with the same penalties with which they strike those suspected of heresy. Therefore We grant and attribute free faculty to them, and to each of them, to proceed and to inquire against the aforesaid transgressors, and to imprison and punish them with the due penalties, invoking also, if it shall be necessary, the aid of the secular arm.”
A strong appeal to both the Catholic people and their rulers, we know how powerful the condemnation of heresy was towards individuals or groups and the threat of excommunication towards those who held secular power, which, in fact, meant that everyone was freed from the obligation to obey the excommunicated. The Pontiff was a Florentine and was certainly annoyed by the presence of an English lodge in Florence and this for four reasons:
1. Gian Gastone de’ Medici, the last heir of the Florentine dynasty, had no heirs, and with him the dynasty would become extinct upon his death, thus creating a succession crisis in his native city.
2. Meanwhile, in Rome, James Stuart, the pretender to the British throne (James III of England and VIII of Scotland), was being hosted with his court. Within a few years, financed by the Church of Rome, a military expedition would be organized in an attempt to restore the Catholic Stuart dynasty to the English throne.
3. The Court of Rome and the Corsini family were often aligned against the Habsburgs and in favor of the French and Spanish, from the War of the Austrian Succession to the disputes over the election of the new emperor after the death of Maria Theresa’s father, and the conflicts over the succession to the Grand Duchy. Conversely, the Habsburgs were often allied with the English.
4. The Vatican did not want, nor would it for a long time, a consolidated Evangelical presence in Italy. All attempts to establish a presence of Reformed Christians in Italy were and would be forcefully prevented. The Church of Rome did not tolerate the presence of other confessions. The Inquisition had operated rigorously to ensure a strong and unassailable Roman monopoly in the Italian kingdoms.
Therefore, religious reasons and reasons linked to political and dynastic interests overlap.
THE FIRST ACT AGAINST FREEMASONRY WAS BY THE FLORENTINE PONTIFF CLEMENT XII – THIS IS NOT THE PLACE TO ANALYZE THIS MEASURE
IT SHOULD BE IMMEDIATELY NOTED THAT THE REASONS APPEAR MORE POLITICAL THAN RELIGIOUS, AND THE WORDS OF THE TUSCAN MINISTER OF JUSTICE GIULIO RUCELLAI ARE CLEAR:
The Society of Freemasons is a wholly secular matter, such that neither Ecclesiastics nor, much less, the Inquisition can intervene. The Inquisition can only deal with matters of Faith, and this is so true that in those countries where it was deemed necessary to prohibit this association, the prohibition was issued by the secular authorities, but never, as far as I know, by the ecclesiastical authorities. And for this reason, among others, the Bull was not published in Florence. Therefore, it is currently considered a lay matter, subject to the authority of His Royal Highness, and falls under the jurisdiction of the Holy Office, for a purely secular reason. Thus, in this regard, it cannot be considered anything more than a private imprisonment, that is to say, as the greatest offense that can be made against the majesty of the Sovereign, to whom alone God has entrusted the great right over the lives and liberties of his subjects, which today is equivalent to life itself.
FREEMASONRY IS A SECULAR ORGANIZATION, IT CANNOT BE JUDGED BY THE CHURCH, AT LEAST BY THE INQUISITION
The English lodges in Italy
Freemasonry, and English Freemasonry in particular, saw its spread halted in central and northern Italy following the papal excommunication.
It strengthened its presence in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies thanks to the protection of Queen Maria Carolina (1752-1814), daughter of the Freemason Francis Stephen of Lorraine (1708-1765).
The French Revolution and Napoleon’s military expeditions overwhelmed the English Lodges, accomplishing what the Inquisition had failed to do.
Documents in the archives of the Grand Lodge in London show that almost all the Lodges connected to London were removed from the English registers in 1813, but that they had already been inactive for some time.
It is the effect of Napoleon’s conquest, and thus his ‘Freemasonry’ spread.
Apparently, there is a new freedom in studies and customs. But the only independent state, the Republic of Venice, is ceded to Austria, and paintings, and works of art are stolen and taken to France.
However, this new Freemasonry supported the French and then Napoleonic domination, everyone would have to contribute to satisfy the aims of conquest and the war effort, especially the expedition to Russia.
But deep down, the Italian ruling classes were accustomed to adapting to the desires of the foreign dominators of the time.
Some of the notes in London list all the English Lodges in Italy in the 18th century and, in addition, all the provincial Grand Masters. The most relevant note is that of the archivist and historian J. M. Hamill and provides us with a useful insight into the Italian Lodges registered in the U.G.L.E. registers. Here is the original text:
«English Freemasonry in Italy
English Provincial Grand Masters in Italy
1740 Marquis des Marches for Savoy and Piedmont
1766 Niccolò de Manuzzi for Italy
1770 Caesar Pignatelli, Duke of Rocca for Naples and Sicily
1773 Count de Berney for Piedmont
Lodges in Italy on the English Registers
Premier Grand Lodge
1768 Lodge of Perfect Union No. 433 in His Sicilian Majesties Regiment of Foot, Naples
1769 Well Chosen Lodge No. 444, Naples
1771 Lodge of Perfect Union No. 410, Livorno
1771 Lodge of Sincere Brotherly Love No. 412, Livorno
1772 Union Lodge No. 438, Venezia
1772 Loggia No. 439 (no name) Verona
1775 Loggia Saint Jean de la Nouvelle Esperance No. 479, Turin
1778 Loggia No. 510 (no name), Messina
1780 Loggia no. 525 (no name), Naples
1781 La Loggia della Verità No. 440, Naples
1782 Old British and Ligurian Lodge No. 444, Genoa
Ancients Grand Lodge
1763 Loggia No. 117 (no name) at Livorno
1765 Loggia No. 138 (no name) at Salutation Tavern, Grand Street, Livorno.»
The two main Italian Lodges, the one of the English in Florence and the one connected to the Stuarts in Rome, they were not found in the English records
WITH THE DOMINATION OF NAPOLEON I THE SCOTTISH RITE SPREADS.
FRANCE-LINKED FREEMASONRY IS CLOSELY CONNECTED TO THE NEW DOMINATORS, IT IS SUBALTERNATE TO THEIR POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC INTERESTS.
Many French Lodges bore the name of Napoleon and his family. On June 20, 1805, the assembly of the “Franca Masonria” was held in Milan, attended by the Venerables and the Supervisors of five Milanese Lodges: Real Napoleone, Reale Giuseppina, L’Eugenio, L’Heureuse Rencontre and La Concordia.
Even with the Catholic Church, relations normalized: from a normative point of view, concordats were stipulated, while, from a symbolic point of view, Napoleon, as was the tradition of the old Sovereigns of France, sought the legitimacy of the Church, crowning himself in front of the Pontiff. It was certainly not the ancient vassalage, but in any case legitimacy was sought in some way by the Catholic Church.
English Freemasonry Returns to Italy
WITH GIUSEPPE GARIBALDI ENGLISH FREEMASONRY RETURNS TO ITALY AND REACHES UNITY
Giuseppe Garibaldi (1807-1882) was a member of an English lodge and his expedition was supported by English Freemasonry.
John Belton writes in his book ‘A Questioning Eye on Freemasonry’ that the main protagonist, at least in a military role, of the unification of the Peninsula was Giuseppe Garibaldi who ‘was and is both a national hero and a Freemason in Italy, but he was also a member of the Philadelphes in London. Members of this same group founded a British brigade that went to fight in Italy. British support is perhaps an untold part of the story’.
Belton explains that an interest in Italian politics may seem strange today “…but in the mid-nineteenth century, in Great Britain as elsewhere in Europe, it was a big problem”. Garibaldi in particular was a genuinely popular celebrity. When he visited London in 1864, his popularity was such that it was said that between 100,000 and 500,000 people had filled the streets.
Garibaldi remained a member of the London Lodge throughout his life. ‘Garibaldi never joined an Italian lodge… He saw Freemasonry as a political tool and was frustrated by its limitations. Freemasonry, in turn, used Garibaldi as a figurehead to promote its own agenda.
British support was crucial to Garibaldi’s expedition. When he attempted another similar expedition on Rome, he was first thwarted by the Piedmontese, then severely wounded at Aspromonte, and finally defeated by French forces at Mentana, ending up in exile on Caprera.
When the city of Palermo decided to create a commemorative medal, the Interior Ministry launched an investigation to locate the 1,084 individuals who had fought alongside Garibaldi in Sicily. These were the men who had risked their lives to unify Italy, but their whereabouts were unknown.”
“This was happening at a time when Freemasonry was exerting increasing influence over public institutions.
Recognition by English Freemasonry
In 1862, following Italian unification, Grand Master Costantino Nigra of the Grand Orient sought recognition from English Freemasons.
In December 1864, as the English had requested, the Grand Orient sent its statutes to London, accompanied by the letter you’ll find attached to the slides.
The Grand Orient was only recognized by the English 110 years after this request. Therefore, the role that Garibaldi played in this refusal is still to be fully understood, considering his presence in English Freemasonry.
I find it significant that this request was not granted precisely at a time when Garibaldi enjoyed immense popularity in England and held a well-defined role in British Freemasonry. I did not understand the reasons for the lack of recognition by the Grand Lodge of England.
I UNDERSTOOD WHAT HAD HAPPENED FROM THE HISTORIAN ARRIGO PETTACCO, WHO IN A SPEECH AT A CONFERENCE TOLD ABOUT A LETTER FROM NIGRA TO CAVOUR: the aim of the Piedmontese, in agreement with Napoleon III, explains Pettacco, was to create a Kingdom in Northern Italy, to found a Kingdom in the center with Jerome Napoleon, while the Kingdoms of the South and the Pope would have remained, more or less, as they were.”
Cavour cared little about the South; indeed, the Piedmontese were worried because Garibaldi was bringing about a “revolution”, explains Pettacco. Costantino Nigra, ambassador to Paris, always according to Pettacco, protests in a letter addressed to Cavour about Garibaldi’s actions. Pettacco uses the word “filibusters”, Cavour responds with a culinary metaphor: “the oranges are already on the table, the pasta is almost cooked…”. So the projects of Italian Freemasonry linked to France clashed with Garibaldi’s actions?
Is it true that the Freemasonries of the pre-united states all supported the Risorgimento movements and the projects of national unity? Or were the latter due to a minority linked to Mazzini and Garibaldi and supported by the English?
THE LINK for those who want to learn more about the topic can listen to Pettacco’s speech is: https://youtu.be/F0-edFBtewE?si=kKJOKOs5izafRS41
In London, the characteristics of the newborn Italian Freemasonry were clear from the very beginning.
As I said, one of the first Grand Masters of the Grand Orient of Turin, Costantino Nigra, wrote to the Grand Lodge of England in 1862, communicating the establishment of the Masonic Communion.
Also in 1862, the Grand Secretary Gray Clarke of the Grand Lodge of England replied, on behalf of the Grand Master Earl of Zetland, to Nigra’s letter, clearly stating what English Freemasonry was:
“The Grand Master of England wishes me to offer you his congratulations on this prosperous event, being fully convinced that the spread of Freemasonry in Italy will be of great benefit to all classes of humanity, and that a society such as ours, outside of any political movement and having as its sole purpose the perfection of the intellectual and moral qualities of all those who embrace its principles, will be well seen and appreciated.”
Freemasonry does not deal with politics or religion: this statement, often made, hardly corresponds to the Italian reality where, on the contrary, especially from the spread of Freemasonry linked to Napoleon I.
This Freemasonry is strongly confused with political and governmental activity, not only with regard to general political management but also through the control of public apparatuses, achieved through the inclusion of the network of men who are part of it (the sub-government); a selection of men is created based on affiliation and not on skills, abilities and merits.
It follows that when we reconstruct the history of Italian Freemasonry, as in the case of Costantino Nigra, the influence of French Freemasonry and through it of the French government is very heavy, then as now.
The Evangelical Movement and Freemasonry in Italy
1860-1908 The Evangelical movement and Freemasonry in Italy by Saverio Fera, William Burgess, and Teofilo Gay. One of the reasons that led to the first excommunication was the presence of Catholics and members of other religious confessions in Masonic Lodges of the English tradition, and the constant commitment of the Catholic Church was to prevent the spread of Reformed confessions in Italy.
The 1848 uprisings had initially seen the support of the Pope, so many Catholics, including priests, participated. Some of these, exiled after the 1848 revolution, had sought and found hospitality in Reformed Churches, had returned to Italy and had continued their work in favor of those who wanted to unify the Peninsula, but had also become promoters of Reformed religions. To describe this strong presence of members of evangelical religions in Italian Freemasonry, the term “massoevangelismo” was coined.The three most important Masonic figures were Saverio Fera (1850-1915), first a pastor of the Free Church and then of the Methodist Church, and a Freemason. Pastor William Burgess, responsible for the Methodist Church in Italy and a member of the Anglo Saxon lodge of Rome, and the Episcopal and then Waldensian Pastor, Teofilo Gay, an important member of the Supreme Council of the Scottish Rite.
Evangelicals contributed to the foundation of Freemasonry in the new Kingdom of Italy. Their presence is one of the reasons for the hostility of the Catholic Church, which had always sought to reaffirm the bond and the legitimation of the power of the various Sovereigns of the Italian Kingdoms and, through this bond, the control of the networks of assistance and solidarity that had been founded on the territory, as well as the maintenance of strong economic power.
This still happens today in many clerical countries, not only Catholic ones, where government resources are used to finance the support networks of the state religion, whose members are privileged in accessing public employment. After national unity, not immediately but over time, laws will be enacted to guarantee freedom of worship and will transfer control of welfare and charitable institutions, the “pious works”, to municipalities and the state, in particular with the governments of Francesco Crispi (1818-1901) and the Grand Master Adriano Lemmi (1822-1906). Crispi will then bring Italian foreign policy closer to that of Germany, freeing it from the close ties with France.
The Breakup of Italian Freemasonry
In 1908, the unity of Italian Freemasonry was broken. The Supreme Council of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite withdrew the delegation to administer the Craft lodges from the Grand Orient. Fascism persecuted both Evangelicals and Freemasons.
Napoleon I had favored Freemasonry, which he had helped to found in order to control the ruling classes and political power in Italy. Napoleon III had initially opposed the unification of the Italian territory, attempting to replace Austrian preeminence with his own. Then, by protecting the Papal States, he stopped Garibaldi’s attempts to enter Rome. In 1908, the French government and Freemasonry were indicated by the Jesuits as responsible for the conflict that led to the division of Italian Freemasonry.
Even today the two largest Masonic obediences are strongly linked to French Freemasonry and, I wonder if, even today, they are able to influence the Italian Government?
With great effort, the pre-unified Italian Masonic groups united, thanks above all to Grand Master Adriano Lemmi. In the first Masonic constituent assembly held in Rome after its conquest by the Bersaglieri, the various cultural currents into which Italian Freemasonry was divided reached a compromise. In particular, there is a strong influence of those components that, looking at what was happening in France, tend to affirm a Freemasonry that is explicitly dedicated to political activity, supporting progressive political forces and opening up to atheist components, or that rejected any link with religious faiths.
In 1908 the Supreme Council of the Scottish Rite regained its autonomy from the Grand Orient and soon founded a Grand Lodge that could administer the Lodges of the first three Degrees, reserving for itself, as was logical, the administration of the Rite.
In a circular sent to all Masonic lodges worldwide, the Grand Orient accused Saverio Fera, Sovereign Grand Commander of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, of proselytizing for Evangelical Churches through Freemasonry. As the circular, which you can see along with the slides, states: “Fera is driven by the mania and necessity to increase proselytes, through Masonic initiation, for the specific Church of which he is a minister.”
A few years later, with the rise of Fascism, the persecution of Evangelicals resumed. The first symbolic measure of the new Regime’s intentions was the closure of the Methodist College built on Monte Mario, intended for the education of the children of the liberal ruling class. This is the most significant episode.
The events of 1908: the opinion of Civiltà Cattolica
Saverio Fera, being the head of traditional and spiritual Freemasonry, was defined during the 1908 crisis as an ‘Agent of Protestant Bible Societies’.
IN THE CONFLICT THAT DIVIDED GOI AND PIAZZA DEL GESU’ ACCORDING TO LA CIVILTÀ CATTOLICA, GOI PREVAILED, WHICH IS NOT TRUE. LET’S SEE WHAT THE MAGAZINE WROTE:
“Among these, the first and most evident consequence was that the conservative or moderate current, composed of spiritualist or deist Freemasons in the religious order and of anti-subversive opportunists in the political order, was definitively disbanded from the official organization of Italian Freemasonry and reduced to an insignificant quantity in the public life of the country; Fera, the leader of the former and therefore accused during the crisis as an ‘agent of Protestant Bible Societies’, and Hon. Camera, the leader of the latter and therefore treated as a government emissary to form a Giolittian Freemasonry for electoral purposes, were excommunicated and expelled with all their adherents by the Grand Orient of Italy, which entirely dominates the symbolic rite and the vast majority of the Scottish Rite.”
PIAZZA DEL GESU’ REDUCED TO THE MINIMUM:
“Unfortunately, as Pastor Gay had foreseen in his conversation with a Momento editor, the defectors remained few and soon dwindled to a minimum; in his circular of August 24th, Grand Master Ferrari could triumphantly count on his fingers the lodges and chambers that had disobeyed and were therefore demolished by the Grand Orient, affirming that ‘there had been no schism’, that ‘the secessionists’ attempt had completely and miserably failed’ and that ‘time would open the eyes of the very few deluded’. And La Ragione di Roma repeatedly declared that ‘Fera’s attempt had definitively passed into the realm of memory with a first-class funeral, but without excessive shedding of tears’.”
THE ROLE OF THE FRENCH GOVERNMENT AND FRENCH FREEMASONRY:
“And the discord was destined to become more bitter, the more French Freemasonry, puffed up with its victories, incited its younger Italian sister to follow in its glorious footsteps, and the French government, with its moral means, fanned the flames of Italian anti-clericalism, in order to create a public opinion favorable to itself and to drag Italy along in the war against Christianity…”
JACOBIN ANARCHISTS AND SOCIALISTS PREVAIL IN THE GOI:
“And just as the Republicans and Radicals, so too the Socialists and even the Anarchists, already hostile to Freemasonry, considered a shadowy sect of the exploiting bourgeoisie, not only reconciled and formed alliances with it against the common enemy, Clericalism, but, especially after the victory of the popular bloc in the municipal elections of Rome, entered in large numbers into the lodges to reinforce the Jacobin element and make it predominant, forming what Pastor Gay called ‘a radical and socialist mixture, with which it is impossible to agree’, since ‘Braccialarghe (a famous anarchist agitator who had joined Freemasonry) cannot have respect for the Bible and the Bible must be found on every Masonic altar’.”
At the international conferences of Washington in 1912 and Lausanne in 1922, the Piazza del Gesù Communion was called upon to represent the Scottish Rite in Italy. This was exactly the opposite of what Civiltà Cattolica, the Jesuit review, had written, even though the Grand Orient remained for a long time the organization with the largest number of members.
In 1908, Italian Freemasonry experienced another schism, and the Supreme Council of the Scottish Rite revoked the Grand Orient’s authority to administer the Scottish Rite Lodges, establishing its own Grand Lodge. This Supreme Council, known as Piazza del Gesù, would largely be controlled by representatives of evangelical churches. This group would represent Italian Scottish Masonry at the 1912 Washington and 1922 Lausanne Conferences. SURPRISINGLY, THE JESUIT REVIEW SUPPORTED THE ARGUMENTS OF THE GRAND ORIENT OF ITALY. Saverio Fera was accused during the crisis of being an agent of Protestant Bible Societies.
In the 1909 collection of volumes of La Civiltà Cattolica, year 60, volume I, pages 257 and following, we find an article entitled ‘The new evolution of Italian Freemasonry’. According to the magazine, the events of 1908 have an ‘… unusual importance for the religious and political conditions of Italian public life…’, therefore it is necessary to bring to the attention of readers what has happened ‘… to deduce the necessity of combating this anti-Christian sect by every means, not only in the name of religion, but also of true patriotism…’
The article correctly traces the history of Italian Freemasonry, which has French origins but has never embraced the excesses of the French, such as advocating atheism in religion or radical republicanism in politics. Indeed, maintaining relationships with Anglo-American Freemasonry, which is more conservative, it has not abolished the formula referring to the Great Architect of the Universe and maintains the prohibition of discussing politics and religion in the lodges. A Freemasonry that has thus concentrated, following Garibaldi and Mazzini’s traditions, its activity on: “… war against the Papacy and the Law of Guarantees, religious orders, catechism in schools, religious marriage and funerals, the clergy and the Church in general, to obtain, with the triumph of secularism, the destruction of clericalism, that is, of Catholicism in Italy; all this, of course, in the name of freedom of conscience…”.
However, a more traditionalist Freemasonry remained, which had necessarily clashed: “… with the center and the left, both devoted to French Jacobinism and eager to transplant it into Italy, especially after the triumph of Freemasonry with the Combes government, the abolition of the Concordat, the separation of Church and State, and the rehabilitation of Dreyfus.”
The article argues that French Freemasonry had influenced Italian Freemasonry by fomenting conflicts to bring the Italians to their own positions. The conflict became public knowledge through newspapers, and the Jesuits attacked the Grand Orient, declaring that the moderates: “… were excommunicated and expelled from the Grand Orient of Italy, which now completely dominates the symbolic rite and the vast majority of the Scottish Rite…”. The article concludes that any internal obstacle to considering that art in a Jacobin manner has been removed. The Statutes were modified to the effect that Freemasonry had to pursue democratic thought and the struggle against privilege.
In a certain way, the French-leaning Italian Freemasonry created a kind of axis with the Catholic Church:
– Napoleon I reached an agreement with the Concordat, seeking to obtain for his family and his new nobility a sort of legitimation, as was the tradition for the sovereigns of the Bourbon dynasty, from the Catholic Church.
– Initially, NAPOLEON III attempted to impose his hegemony over the newly formed Kingdom of Italy by controlling a kingdom in central Italy, reaching an agreement with the Pope and the Bourbons who governed southern Italy.
After his defeat by Garibaldi and the unification of the northern and southern kingdoms, Napoleon III defended the Papal States with arms and political agreements with the new kingdom, blocking Garibaldi’s expeditions twice (indirectly on the first occasion and directly on the second).
– In 1908, with the schism between the two souls of Italian Freemasonry, La Civiltà Cattolica explained that the prevailing group was that of the Grand Orient, linked to France. Even today, the two largest Italian Masonic groups are affiliated with French lodges.
The split of 1908, as explained by the French-inspired Civiltà Cattolica, weakened Freemasonry and the government’s anti-French policies. The Grand Orient will attack the exponents of the Evangelical Churches in Italy who will soon after be opposed by fascism, stopping their development and spread.
The Second Vatican Council – negotiations with the Grand Orient of Italy
Father Rosario Esposito (1921-2007) wrote a book entitled “The Reconciliation Between Church and Freemasonry,” published by Longo Editore in 1979, in which he recounts these events.
Even during this negotiation, the Catholic Church, at least a significant sector, sees the Grand Orient with its characteristics and its ties with France as its privileged interlocutor.
In the 1970s, immediately following the conclusion of the Second Vatican Council with its openings to non-believers and other Christian religions, several meetings were organized between representatives of Freemasonry and representatives of the Catholic Church, particularly in Austria, Germany, and Italy, to the point that one could say that a real negotiation began. In Italy, the Grand Orient of Italy was the promoter of the meetings on one side, while on the other side were the Jesuit Father Giovanni Caprile (1917-1993), the Pauline Father Rosario Esposito Franco (1921-2007), and Monsignor Vincenzo Miano (1910-1980), head of the “Secretariat for Non-Believers and Freemasonry.” Professor Augusto Comba (1923-2009) participated in some of these meetings, as he mentions in his book “Valdenses and Freemasonry – two minorities compared”.
Comba, having participated in the meetings as a member of the Grand Orient delegation, highlights their mutual instrumentalization: “… I was aware of the instrumental, diplomatic, and media-oriented nature of the initiative for both parties. After all, they were essentially interested in the repercussions of the affair on the United Grand Lodge of England. If the Grand Orient of Italy could represent Freemasonry to the Vatican, it probably did so through whispered authorizations from London. And what Gamberini was interested in was the initiation of the process, which would be continued the following year by his successor Salvini, towards British recognition.”
However, there was great confusion. Don Miano, in his preface to Father Esposito’s book, recalls the establishment of the Secretariat for Non-Believers by Pope Paul VI in 1965. By non-believers were meant those who “do not have or reject any religious faith.” Freemasonry was commonly considered to fall into this category. It was only in 1979 that Don Miano realized that “Masons are not and cannot be considered non-believers.” It is clear that the belief was that Freemasonry was represented not by so-called regular or Anglo-Saxon Freemasonry, but by the branch linked to the Grand Orient of France, which was atheist and aimed at promoting progressive ideals in a secular society. This was also the case during the years of dialogue with the Catholic Church under Grand Masters Giordano Gamberini (1915-2003) and Lino Salvini (1925-1982), years in which the Propaganda Two Lodge came under the control of Licio Gelli (1919-2015).
The Grand Orient was once again linked to French Freemasonry: the axis of France, the Grand Orient and the Catholic Church was effectively reaffirmed.
UGLE's position on religion
In London, the UGLE’s position on religion has remained and remains the same, similar to that of the Freemasons present in Florence in the 1700s. I don’t think many people in Italy are aware of it. In December 2023, the UGLE published a declaration approved by the Grand Lodge in September 1962, stating that the Board sees no reason to recommend any variation to it:
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FREEMASONRY AND RELIGION:
The Board has been giving the most earnest consideration to this subject, being convinced that it is of fundamental importance to the reputation and well-being of English Freemasonry that no misunderstanding should exist inside or outside the Craft.
It cannot be too strongly asserted that Masonry is neither a religion nor a substitute for religion. Masonry seeks to inculcate in its members a standard of conduct and behaviour which it believes to be acceptable to all creeds, but studiously refrains from intervening in the field of dogma or theology. Masonry, therefore, is not a competitor with religion though in the sphere of human conduct it may be hoped that its teaching will be complementary to that of religion. On the other hand its basic requirement that every member of the Order shall believe in a Supreme Being and the stress laid upon his duty towards Him should be sufficient evidence to all but the wilfully prejudiced that Masonry is an upholder of religion since it both requires a man to have some form of religious belief before he can be admitted as a Mason, and expects him when admitted to go on practising his religion.
Adrian Marsh Grand Secretary
The pro Grand Master’s
The pro Grand Master’s in his address contained in the Quarterly Communication of Grand Lodge – December 2023 – recalls the values, tradition and constitutions that inspire the UGLE:
You may wonder, Brethren, why a document of such relative antiquity should be worth celebrating. The answer is simple and straightforward: the 1723 Constitutions encapsulate the Enlightenment values on which Freemasonry, as practised by the Regular Grand Lodges represented in this room, is founded. These values are themselves centred on notions of human happiness, intellectual enquiry, self- improvement and the pursuit of knowledge for itself based on reason, and with ideals including liberty, religious tolerance, constitutional government, and a meritocratic society. These values are further underpinned in our Freemasonry by belief in God, according to our own Faith: they are surely as relevant today in 2023 as they were in 1723.
Regrettably many of those values are under constant threat in today’s world. We must constantly strive to ensure that the beacon of enlightenment which Freemasonry represents and the values of the Enlightenment thinkers and philosophers is not buried by intolerance, superstition and violence.
Brethren, we all have a duty to be faithful to our obligations and to conduct ourselves in this life according to Masonic principles. We try to articulate a modern statement of how we should live our lives with four words, “Integrity, Friendship, Respect, Service”. This is deliberately laconic, or, if you prefer, brief and easy to remember, but it captures the essence of what it is to be a Freemason in the twenty-first century. It is important we remember this for all of us, whatever our rank or position is in Society or indeed within Freemasonry, need to act accordingly.
As you saw last week, Brethren, in our First Rising, we also find ourselves having to state publicly again that Freemasonry, as practised by this Grand Lodge and the others represented here today, is secular, non-religious, and non-political. It is neither a religion nor a substitute for religion. Our members must profess a belief in God, a faith that remains personal to them. Our proud history of religious tolerance has nothing to do with the “indifferentism” of which we are wrongly accused. As our members from every creed recognise, we are firm in supporting religious faith and the principles I have already stated, of Integrity, Friendship, Respect and Service, inspire our members to endeavour to be better people and better citizens proudly engaged in the communities in which we live.
Lest anybody say that this is an innovation in Freemasonry, I will conclude by quoting two distinguished Freemasons from the 18th Century, the Century of the Age of Enlightenment. George Washington commented: ‘The grand object of Masonry is to promote the happiness of the human race’. While King Frederick II, or The Great, of Prussia said that his support of the Craft came from its objectives being: “the intellectual elevation of men as members of society and making them more virtuous and more charitable”.
I do not think that those views can be bettered. Brethren, Thank you.
Council for Freemasonry in England and Wales
The United Grand Lodge of England, Order of Women Freemasonry and Honorable Fraternity of Ancient Freemasons. THE VALUE OF TRADITION
English Freemasonry has been criticized and accused of having single-gender organizations. It has been uniquely required that its members declare their public affiliation, a fact evident from photographs in magazines and numerous public events organized by the association.
Unlike what often happens in Italy, it does not deal with politics, it does not have an external hierarchy that is binding on the internal Masonic one, it claims merit as a selection criterion, and it carries out continuous public activities.
In response to these criticisms, often linked to contemporary cultural trends, a Council uniting male and female Freemasonry has been formed, and traditional values have been reaffirmed.
Saturday 29 June 2024 – First Rising – the official newsletter for members of United Grand Lodge of England:
Having determined that both Women’s and Men’s Freemasonry wish to maintain single-gender Lodges, we believe that the creation of a Council for Freemasonry in England and Wales will provide a formal process around the strong collaboration with Women’s Freemasonry that we have always had.
The Council is comprised of The United Grand Lodge of England, Order of Women Freemasonry and Honourable Fraternity of Ancient Freemasons. Whilst it is a formal collaboration, it will have no powers over individual Grand Lodges, nor is it in any way a merger and will not impact the regularity of any or all of them.
The main purposes of the Council will be:
– To ensure that the founding principles of merit, tolerance, diversity and inclusion are advanced and respected;
– To ensure that common values, such as community service, can be optimised through scale;
– To align and coordinate communications and engagement with government, regulators, religious authorities, and the press;
– To promote and support the membership challenges of each of the Grand Lodges;
– To, where appropriate, make available and allocate resources and facilities for the good and general benefit of male and female Freemasonry.
Respect for different opinions and different paths of brotherhood and knowledge, respect for ancient traditions in the face of those who want to affirm new dogmas.
The conflict between Freemasonry and the Catholic Church has its origins in an ancient cultural context
It is evident that the origins of the confrontation between Freemasonry and the Catholic Church can be traced to three main reasons:
• The new Academy appealed to the European ruling classes,
• It valued scientific knowledge and defended Galileo’s method over traditional conceptions, and was composed of people who traveled and were familiar with new worlds and cultures,
• Finally, it could become a vehicle for the entry of Evangelical religions into Italy.
The Catholic Church has always had to contend with a tension between its spiritual soul and a resistance to temporal powers, seeking support from secular governments to which it provides cultural legitimacy.
Consequently, in the 18th century, the Church did not want to lose control over the ruling classes and cultural institutions, nor did it want communities linked to Evangelical Churches to consolidate in Italy. It is no coincidence that in the 19th century, the Church opposed the Freemasonry of Piazza del Gesù, whose leadership included members of Reformed Churches.
Should conversion be sought through example and preaching, or with the help of secular power?
I agree with Minister Rucellai’s solution: Freemasonry is a secular organization that should be of no concern to the Catholic Church. As a dialogue between the two is underway, this principle should serve as its foundation. Any other path, particularly a mutual recognition of worldly power, would be detrimental harmful.
The Cecina conference made me understand that there are two ways of considering Freemasonry in Italy:
– the first considers the formal aspect of Masonic membership central, reducing it to a masterly execution, a ritual correctly repeated by heart. Sometimes openly hostile to the in-depth work carried out by the Quatuor Coronati of London in recent years.
– The other that follows the paths of study and in-depth study proposed by research lodges: both for the historical part (the men who founded it in 1600/1700), and for that relating to rituals/esoteric.
Knowledge exchange
Undoubtedly, the scientific method, the Academies, Galileo, and a novel approach to understanding the natural world paved the way for the Industrial Revolution. While Tuscany witnessed a halt in this progress, England, with institutions like the Royal Society, continued to foster scientific inquiry. This period coincided with extensive travel and cultural exchange. This crucial cultural interchange is often overlooked, replaced by imaginative reconstructions.
WE ARE PART OF THIS EXCHANGE, and we find traces of it in Masonic writings.
Freemasonry is a secular institution committed to the study of the philosophies of eminent thinkers, past and present, and does not prescribe to religious dogmas or rituals:
FREEMASONRY IS A CONCRETE DEMONSTRATION OF THIS EXCHANGE BETWEEN DIFFERENT CULTURES DUE TO TRAVEL AND TRADE IN THE 1600s/1700s, WE FIND TRACES OF IT IN MASONIC RITUALS
The open dialogue in the Cecina conference is a concrete demonstration of this.
Freemasonry is a secular organization that deals clearly with the thoughts of the great sages, of those who have been and those who will come, it does not deal with Dogmas or religious Rites:
– He knows Confucius who gave China its moral doctrine.
– He knows Zoroaster who taught the Aryans of Bactria to worship the omniscient Lord Ahura Mazda.
– He knows Gotama Buddha who renounced all privileges to open the path that leads to the end of suffering.
– He knows Moses, saved from the waters and who will worship the one God.
– He knows Hermes Trismegistus, thrice great, possessor of the science of Ancient Egypt.
– He knows Rabbi Jeshua who gave his life for the salvation of mankind.
– He knows Muhammad who explained that Allah imposes justice, benevolence, and generosity.
– He knows he who will come tomorrow: for the chain of inquiry has never been broken, nor will it ever be broken.
World Religions
If we look at the numbers of people who follow different religions, we see that Catholics are actually a minority worldwide. This means we need to look at other religions too, to get a better understanding.
IF WE SEARCH FOR THE NUMBERS OF RELIGIOUS CONFESSIONS ON GOOGLE, HERE IS THE ANSWER:
Christians 29.6% (Catholics 17.1%, Evangelicals and other Christians 9.9%, Orthodox 2.6%), Muslims 23.1%, Jews 0.2%, Eastern religions 26.2% (Hindus 15.2%, Buddhists 5.1%, other Eastern religions 5.9%), traditional religions 2.6%, other groups and those not stating 3.5%, atheists and agnostics 14.8%..
If you look at the world from a perspective that isn’t centered on Europe, like Freemasonry does, then the Catholic Church isn’t as important anymore, even when you look at the numbers, except in a few places like France, Spain, and Italy.
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Reflections-and-Reports-Lucio-Artini
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Lucio Artini graduated in Political Science at the University of Florence, “Cesare Alfieri” Faculty, historical-political course – Modern and Contemporary History.
He collaborated with the magazines “L’Uomo” and “Officinae”.
In 2014 he published the book “Blessed Gregory X the Crusader Pope: the Templar Pope?”.
He presented papers with colleagues at conferences from the Quatuor Coronati Lodge to Queen’s College, Cambridge in 2016 and in 2023, in Alessandria – Washington in 2018, he presented a paper in Bordeaux – ICOM 2019.
He participated with a brochure at the ICHF conference in Edinburgh in 2013.
He is currently a member of Lorenzo il Magnifico Lodge n.52 in Florence and of Mount Sinai Lodge 8993 in London.
He is a member of the Council of Cultural Diffusion Limited