"John XXIII and Masonry" by Fr Francesco Ricossa

Article translated from Sodalitium (October-November 1996), pp 33-48. From the article series "Le Pape du Concile" by abbé Francesco Ricossa: "Dix-neuvieme partie: Jean XXIII et la maçonnerie" (“Nineteenth installment: John XXIII and Masonry”).

Papal nuncio in Paris, Angelo Roncalli, receiving the cardinal's hat in 1953 from anti-clerical mason and socialist Vincent Auriol, first president of the Fourth French Republic

On the 18th of December 1993, the Neapolitan lawyer Virgilio Gaito was elected the Grand Master of the Masonic obedience known as "Grand Orient of Italy - Palazzo Giustiniani". A little later, the Grand Master granted two significant interviews, the first to Fabio Andriola, journalist of L'Italia Settimanale, the second to Giovanni Cubeddu, correspondent of Trenta Giorni, a journal directed by Giulio Andreotti of the "Communion and Liberation" movement. During these two interviews, Gaito alluded to John XXIII. We here report the questions and answers, which are similar albeit with slight differences. Here they are:

Andriola asked Gaito, "Do you believe that there are priests within the lodges of the Grand Orient, it is said that certain cardinals have been [masonic] brethren..."?

The Grand Master replied, "Probably. Myself, I have no direct knowledge. It is said that John XXIII was initiated into masonry when he was nuncio in Paris. I repeat what I have been told. On the other hand, in his messages I have sensed numerous aspects that are properly masonic. To hear him say that one must put the emphasis on man has greatly pleased me." (1)

Cubeddu, in turn, asked, "What does the new Grand Master say now about the difficult relationship between the Catholic Church and masonry?"

"You know", Gaito replied, "we would welcome a prelate wishing to be initiated with open arms. The problem is on the side of the Church and not on ours: we accept all free men, all free spirits. Moreover, it appears that pope John XXIII was initiated in Paris and that he participated in the activities of the lodges in Istanbul. When afterwards I have heard members of the ecclesiastical hierarchy speak in their homilies of man as the center of the universe I have felt moved to tears." (2) The Grand Commander of the Supreme Council of Mexican Masonry, Carlos Vasquez Rangel, has also recently revealed that Angelo Roncalli would have been initiated into Masonry in Paris. (3)

These interviews with the Grand Master of Italian Masonry are authoritative and raise an important question: what exactly was the relationship between John XXIII and Masonry? And what is more: was Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli a brother of Freemasonry?

 From Virgilio Gaito's replies, the following can be ascertained:

1) It appears that A.G. Roncalli frequented the lodges in Istanbul.

2) It appears that it was in Paris that A.G. Roncalli was formally initiated into Freemasonry.

3)  In any case, according to the Grand Master - and his competence in this matter leaves to room for doubt - numerous aspects of John XXIII's thought are properly masonic.

We have already expressed our opinion about the information coming from Masons about the "revelations" of Pier Carpi [on the initiation of John XXIII into Rosicrucianism]. (4) Even if Virgilio Gaito is more authoritative than Pier Carpi, we must repeat that, for us, the word of a mason must a priori be considered suspect. Moreover, even Gaito does not unambiguously affirm John XXIII's affiliation to Masonry. This does not take away from the value of his testimony which must consequently be scrutinized by verifying his grave assertions. That is the objective of this XIXth article on "The Pope of the Coucil"; to do this, we will be forced to return on the past of our character...

 

The Grand Orient in the East (Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey)

The fourth part of "The Pope of the Council" ("An ecumenist in the Balkans: 1925-1939") and the next, ("From the second world war to the nomination in Paris: 1939-1944") were precisely dedicated to the period spent by Mgr Roncalli in this region as a representative of the Holy See, first in Bulgaria, and afterwards in Turkey. (5) According to Pier Carpi, it was in 1935 shortly after arriving in Istanbul that he joined the Rosicrucians. According to Gaito's testimony, he was happy to frequent the lodges without being formally initiated. We do not have any information that could unequivocally confirm these assertions. However, we can prove that the claims are hardly implausible. We have already discussed his friendly relations with the "Orthodox" hierarchy and the Turkish government, relations which went far beyond the duties of a diplomat. Now, in both of these cases, we can assume an entry into contact with the masonic milieu. It is in effect notorious that the anglican and "Orthodox" confessions are not as belligerant against Masonry as is observed in the Catholic Church. The "Patriarch" of Constantinople Athenagoras, who compared John XXIII to Saint John the Baptist, was for example a high-ranking Mason. (6) Further, the Turkish government not only enthusiastically adopted a rigid secularism, it was the emanation of a secret society, the "Young Turks", a society supported by the masonic lodge of Salonica mostly comprising members of a "Jewish sect (the Dunmeh) who exteriorly professed Islam, all the while practicing the Hebrew faith in the privacy of their homes." (7) These "friends" could well have introduced Masonry to our Roncalli. Moreover, Roncalli's behaviour and speeches mentioned in the preceding issues of Sodalitium cited above clearly indicate that even if he wasn't formally initiated, Mgr Roncalli at least demonstrated "properly masonic aspects", to repeat the cheerful expression of the Grand Master.

 

With the Masons of the 3rd Republic

According to Gaito and Vasquez Rangel, it was in Paris that Roncalli would have been initiated into the secrets of the "Widow's Son" [i.e. reference to Hiram Abiff, or more generally, masonry]. To what has already been said in Sodalitium (8), we can add some further details. The friendly relationship between the nuncio and two fierce anticlericals, the socialist Vincent Auriol and the radical Edouard Herriot, did not fail to astonish - despite its liberal outlook - the Parisian political world. Now, historian of Masonry Aldo Alessandro Mola specifies that Auriol and Herriot were both masons. (9) The Spanish ambassador in Paris, Miguel Mateu Pla, was practically thrown out of the nunciature by Mgr Roncalli, who clearly did not exhibit the same sympathy for general Franco's representative as for Auriol and Herriot. "On another - purely ceremonial - occasion, the Spanish ambassador (...) was shocked about a declaration made in his presence in an almost confidential tone by the nuncio Roncalli to certain Catholic personalities. The nuncio expressed the friendship he professed for the person and work of the minister of education of the French government and the esteem in which he held him; he considered him as "molto bravo" (a very good minister) - these are the literal words. And as it was pointed out that since in France from the times of Combe all the ministers of Education are masons, his friend in question must also be one, Mgr Roncalli outwardly manifested his displeasure for the observation which was just presented to him." (10)

We find another clue to the masonic affiliation of Roncalli in his friendship for the Baron Marsaudon, attested by himself in three of his books. (11) Of this I have already spoken in the preceding issues [of Sodalitium]; I therefore content myself with an overview, only adding certain new details. Marsaudon and the nuncio Roncalli became acquainted in 1947 and befriended each other, even though Marsaudon made no secret of his masonic membership. It was the Baron's membership in the Order of Malta which enabled the first contacts: Marsaudon asked Roncalli his support for the recognition of the Order in the Hispanic countries. In effect, Marsaudon, having been initiated into Masonry in 1926 by Pierre Valude, the Minister of the Merchant Marine in the profane world, had been sent one year later by the latter to South America as representative of the French Companies of navigation. He had worked from 1927 to 1932 for the French government and Masonry (which did not make but a single entity!) and he was very well acquainted with the South American Lodges. After returning to France and reaching the highest degrees in masonry thanks to the support of the great spiritualist initiate Oswald Wirth (12), Marsaudon in the post-war period was appointed Plenipotentiary Minister in a special mission of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM) by the Grand Master of the Order of Malta, the brother Ludovico Chigi Albani della Rovere. Naturally, thanks to the support of masonry, he obtained from the French government the official recognition of the Order's Delegation in France. Knowing his previous experience in South America, the Order of Malta confided to Marsaudon the mission of obtaining the same recognition for this continent, and it is in this way that he went to seek the advice of the nuncio Roncalli. According to the Baron, Mgr Roncalli perpetually became from that time his "protector" and "confidant". During their long conversations, both in the nunciature and in Marsaudon's residence, they both spoke of the problems in the Order of Malta, "of the relations between the Church and Masonry", "of spiritual problems", "of the rapprochement betweeen the various Christian Churches." (13) According to Marsaudon, Roncalli would have told him, "It is not so much the belief or the lack thereof in God which concerns me, but rather the true conception of Christ, above all with respect to the Man Jesus." Roncalli, "never spoke of hell; he instead frequently spoke of a future life which he nevertheless carefully avoided in definining. It must not be forgotten that he spent ten years in the East; not only had he frequented the presence of the Orthodox Patriarchs, but he didn't forget either that they are the successors of the Christians closest to the Apostles and that they have carefully avoided certain novelties enthusiastically welcomed (...) within Roman Catholic circles." (14) Among these novelties: the infallibility of the Pope over which he maintained a voluntary silence, and the Assumption of Mary which Pius XII was preparing to define dogmatically. (15) With respect to Masonry, the nuncio "did not refuse interesting himself" with Marsaudon's "modest conceptions" about the "relations between the Church and Masonry"; (16) "he made a kind effort to understand the significance of initiation (...) which is in no way incompatible with the faith, about which he was increasingly convinced" (17) to the point that he "formally" advised the "Baron" to "remain within Masonry." (18)  Roncalli's character and ideas as described by Marsaudon correspond to the portrait given by another high masonic dignitary, his friend during his time at the Parisian nunciature, the Swiss diplomat Carl J. Burckardt: "He is a deist and a rationalist (...). He will change many things; after him, the Church will no longer be the same." (19)

In short, everything was working out for the best (from Marsaudon's point of view) when the scandal of the Order of Malta broke out.

 

Cardinal Angelo Roncalli enjoying a cigarette in the company of his lay friends, among whom were a number of high ranking freemasons, most notably the French Scottish rite member Yves Marsaudon.

The Order of Malta under investigation

On 14 November 1951, Ludovico Chigi Albani della Rovere, Grand Master of the Order of Malta died in Rome. The knights should have gathered together to elect the successor; this never happened. They could not: Pius XII formally prohibited them from doing so. The Pope appointed a commision of cardinals in charge of either reforming or suppressing the Order of Malta and, for so long as Pope Pacelli lived, the knights no longer had a Grand Master. Everything would be solved on the 24th of June 1961. In this date, feast of Saint John the Baptist, patron of the Order (and Masonry), John XXIII received in the Vatican the Knights and to their great satisfaction made public the Bull by which he abolished the commission of cardinals created by Pius XII and approved the new consitutions of the Order, authorizing the election of a Grand Master; it is brother Angelo de Moiana, cousin of Mgr Mario Nasalli Rocca de Corneliano, "Grand Chamberlain of His Holiness" who would be elected in the following month of May. (20)

But why had Pius XII during so many years left the Order without a Grand Master, under the sole direction of a lieutenant-General, and under the supervision of a commission of cardinals?

The fact is there were numerous problems: the Knights had only retained a little, if anything, of their character as a religious Order and very few professed members had pronounced their vows. Already in 1799, amidst the storm of the revolution, a schismatic such as the Tsar of Russia had been elected Grand Master (1799-1800), and in the last century, before a separate branch - the Saint John's Order - had been founded with links to the (very masonic) English monarchy, (21) a certain number of Anglican Knights had been received by the Grand Master. The ante litteram ecumenism of the order was praised by brother Marsaudon himself. (22) But the most disturbing aspect was the infilitration of Masonry within the Order of Malta. (23) This infiltration is confirmed by documents and admitted by the masons themselves, such as Marsaudon and Mola. This is the reason for the intervention of cardinal Nicola Canali. (25)

Mgr Canali in his position as "Grand Prior Commander in Rome of the Sacred and Sovereign Military Order of Jerusalem, or of Malta, had reason to take an interest in the Order. His enemies accused him of wanting to abolish or reform the Order of Malta so as to place it directly under the control of the Holy See, and in particular the Order of the Holy Sepulcher of which he was the Grand Master. (26) In reality, the spirit of Cardinal Canali's faith which had contributed to St Pius X's anti-modernist struggle was alarmed by the masonic infiltrations that we have just referred.  This is what is shown by the "note to the editor" in Marsaudon's book, Ecumenism viewed by a traditional Freemason. "Harshly attacked under the pontificate of Pius XII by the reactionary faction in Rome - writes the editor Vitiano with regards to Marsaudon's work - he offers his resignation to the Plenipotentiary of the Order, but he was immediately promoted to the high dignity of Minister Emeritus, a distinction he is the only Knight of Malta to currently possess. In its fight against cardinal Canali, the Grand Magisterium of Malta never abandondoned the Baron Marsaudon who, for his part, endeavoured to continue offering help and rendering his services in the diplomatic front. " (27) It was therefore Marsaudon who was discovered, and forced to offer his resignation!

Also, Franco Bellegrandi's disputed narrative for this episode (28) does not appear at all unfounded, and the affair has gradually been made clearer. Bellegrandi writes: "In this French period, there takes place an incident, ignored by most, which for a moment lifts the veil over the presumed membership of Roncallli in the masonic sect. A letter from Cardinal Canali, hard as a stone, had reached (...) His eminent Highness, prince Chigi Albani della Rovere (...): Pius XII (...) had just learned (...) that the minister of the Order of Malta in Paris was a mason. (...) One discovered that [Marsaudon] had been made a "grand cross magistral" on the proposal of his predecessor [de Pierredon], and it is above all on the recommendation of the nuncio in Paris, Roncalli, that he had been appointed minister. The result of this first investigation was immediately brought to the attention of the Vatican, where Cardinal Canali exclaimed, "Poor Roncalli! I am saddened to have to embarrass him, and I hope that this will not cost him his cardinal's hat..." The Vatican decided with the greatest discretion to send on the spot to Paris through the Order a trustworthy person in order to untangle to the end the delicate affair. Indeed, the three persons implicated in the story needed to be treated with respect. The nuncio for the invaluable assistance provided to the Order of Malta to conclude certain delicate affairs in Argentina; the Comte de Pierredon for the many years spent in his service, first in Bucharest and later in Paris; the baron Marsaudon himself for a meritorious work accomplished with a view to obtaining the offiial recognitoin of the Order by the French government." A professed chaplain of the Order, Mgr Rossi Stockalper was named "magisterial visitor"; he went to Paris where he is informed by Father Joseph Berteloot, a Jesuit expert in all matters related to masonry, and by the vicar general of the diocese, Mgr Maurice Bohan. They both confirmed Marsaudon's membership in Freemasonry. "The magisterial visitor" then dragged himself with a heavy heart to President Wilson Avenue, no. 10, the seat of the nunciature. There, he tactfully asked Roncalli about any new details concerning the Baron-mason. The over-sized priest from Sotto il Monte, between a smile and a joke, sent the chaplain from the Order of Malta back to the secretary of the nunciature, Mgr Bruno Heim. This priest, today the apostolic legate in Great Britain, consummates the astonishment of the envoy from Rome first by dressing like a protestant pastor and the smoking pipe which he held between his teeth, then by his astonishing affirmation concerning masonry which he defined as, "one of the last forces of social conservation currently in the world and therefore, a force for religious conservation", and lastly by his enthusiastic judgment with respect to the Baron Marsaudon, whose merit lay in making the nunciature understand the transcendental value of Masonry.  It was precisely on this merit that the nuncio in Paris, Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli had supported and endorsed his nomination as a minister of the Order of Malta in Paris. Already stunned by this turnaround, Mgr Stickalper received the final "coup de grâce" when, after protesting that canon 2335 of Canon Law provides for the excommunication of those affiliated with Masonry, he heard his interlocutor answer (...) that 'the nunciature in Paris is in the process of working under great secrecy to reconcile the Church and Masonry.' This was in 1950!" (29) This episode - in so far as it is described by Bellegrandi - is entirely credible and corresponds to what we already know from other sources. Mgr Heim, from Bâle, holds to a liberal-monarchical outlook, and is therefore favourable to an anglo-saxon variety of Masonry which strongly favours social conservatism. Transferred to Austria after this Parisian incident, he finds himself in Scandinavia where he was still present when in the plenary conference of the episcopal Conference of the Scandinavian and Baltic countries held between 21-23 October 1966, the bishops from these countries decided to no longer ask for the renunciation of masons within the Church, which therefore allowed for the dual membership in the Church and Masonry. Now, Mola recounts that this decision had been prepared "by the apostolic delegate for Scandinavia, Mgr Bruno B. Heim, secretary to John XXIII when he was nuncio in Paris." (30) Heim, secrétaire de Jean XXIII quand il était nonce à Paris” (30). Besides, what was the climate reigning during these years in certain French (and German) Catholic circles? The Jesuit religious Joseph Berteloot, who the aforementioned Roman visitor had rightly visited for further information, was a pioneer in the reconciliation between the Church and symbolic Masonry (with an anti-materialist objective) already since 1947; he was the intimate friend of the mason Albert Lantoine; (31) his works on the possibility of a such a reconciliation date precisely between 1947 and 1952, the years of Roncalli's stay in the nunciature! The contacts between certain masons and the nunciature in Paris, widespread conviction of a possible collaboration, the ideas of Mgr Heim and those of Mgr Roncalli, their friendship towards Marsaudon, Herriot, Auriol... All of this leads one to conclude that Mgr Roncalli's masonic initiation in Paris is not at all improbable. In any case, one fact remains certain: Pius XII, in naming a commission charged with reforming the Order of Malta, sided with the concerns of cardinal Canali; John XXIII took the opposite approach to his predecessor's decision and reopened the way to the masonic infiltration within the Order. But this only within the Order, or equally within the Church? This is what we shall presently investigate. In the mean-time, less than two months after his audience with the Kinghts of Malta, the old cardinal Canali died; his antagonist, Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli did not show the least sign of regret... (32)

John XXIII, first initiated into Rosicrucianism in Turkey, underwent a second initiation while nuncio in Paris

Masonic Shadows over the Conclaves

Transferred to Venice in 1953, cardinal Roncalli insisted on his old principle that it is necessary to consider what unites rather than what divides in "everything that is most masonic" (33), while continuing to visit his mason friends, Auriol and Marsaudon. In 1958, Pius XII dies and Roncalli is elected under the name John XXIII. We have already spoken of the strange certitude that Roncalli had of himself being elected, a certitude fueled by the disturbing prophecies of the esotericist Jean-Gaston Bardet. (34) We have equally spoken of the role played by Masonry at the 1963 conclave which took place upon the death of John XXIII and concluded with the election of Paul VI. (35) On this last event we must describe certain details. On at least two occasions, "Vaticanist" Benny Lai explicitly broached this subject. (26) But this was first discreetly mentioned by someone who was certainly well informed (and in more ways than one!), Giulio Andreotti. "In the days immediately preceding the conclave," writes Andreotti, "a significant activity took place precisely around cardinals Frings and Lercaro who had played a pre-eminent role [as leaders of the progressive front] in the first conciliar session. Among other things, to the great surprise of the local inhabitants, in Grottaferrata a large assembly of cardinals was held - both Italians and foreigners - on the invitation of the Archbishop of Cologne, Frings. One of the participants told me, half seriously and half jokingly, that the canonical majority had already been reached: he did not specify who was the beneficiary of the choice, but neither did I ask him. But from a series of elements, I was confirmed in my prediction of Montini's success." (37) Andreotti fails to tell us the identity of his informer; perhaps the master of the house who he forgets to name... It was not, in fact, within one of the numerous religious houses in and around Rome that the reunion took place, but in the villa of "the lawyer Umberto Ortolani, who would later become embroiled in the history of the masonic lodge P2 and in the bankruptcy of the Banco Ambrosiano, and who held at that time the title of 'gentleman' of Lercaro; this villa had already given its hospitality to Frings to allow the archbishop of Bologna to 'take all the time he needed to speak in perfect tranquility of the events of the Council' (G. Lercaro, Lettera dal Concilio, 1962-1965, EDB, Bologna 1980, p. III)." (38)  Lercaro, Lettera dal Concilio, 1962-1965, EDB, Bologna 1980, p. III)” (38). It could be that the mini-conclave of Grottaferrata had designated cardinal Lercaro as "Ortolani's man". But in another reunion which took place in the Capuchin convent of Frascati, it was Montini who was most favoured; the "crème de la crème" of progressivism was present with cardinals Liénart, Frings, Suenens, König (39), Alfrink (40). John XXIII would have approved of both elections: in March 1963, a few months before his death, he confided to Mgr Pietro Sigismondi of the Propaganda for the Faith, a native from Bergamo, "My suitcases are ready and I am calm: whoever comes after me will lead to its conclusion the little good that I have achieved, above all the Council. There is Montini, Agagianian and Lercaro." (41) This is how Montini visited Lercaro on the evening of June 18 in the house of the regular Benedectine Oblates of Priscilla in via Salaria in Rome, a religious congregation founded by Andreotti's uncle, don Belvederi, and there they agreed on Montini's success, (42) who of course later declared that he "never desired in the least, and even less, favoured our election!" (43) The reunions to orient the progress of the Council and the outcome of the imminent Conclave were therefore held in the house of the mason Ortolani who already played a certain role in the Vatican under John XXIII. That Ortolani's and masonry's role in the election of Paul VI had not been a secondary one was confirmed by the Salesian priest don Pier Giorgio Garrino, who until his tragic death in August 1995, fulfilled important functions in the Curia of the Archbishopric of Turin. I know it from a legitimate source that Garrino maintained that Paul VI's election had been favoured by Masonry.

Given these facts (the events surrounding Montini's election, Roncalli's assurance in being elected, Bardet's "prophecy" in this regard), another claim made by Bellegrandi whereby Paul Sella, a family well known in Biella, would have known before the 1958 Conclave that Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli was to be elected, is not at all implausible. From whom did he know this? "From another high ranking masonic authority in contact with the Vatican." (44)

Whatever the case, shortly after his election John XXIII received the warmest congratulations from his friend, the Baron Marsaudon, to whom John duly replied; later Marsaudon wrote, "for us it was a source of great excitement, but for many of our friends, it was a sign." (45) Here's how Aldo A. Mola recounts the event not without a wink of the eye for those who want to fully understand: "It is thanks to the text of Mater et Magistra of this Mgr Roncalli who chose for his pontificate the name of John, "the one who comes in the light of the Lord", that is, the name of the apostle whose gospel is open on the altars of the lodges, of this Mgr Roncalli who, even once elevated to the pontificate, blessed all brothers in the person of Yves Marsaudon, his friend during his years at the nunciature in Paris; it is thanks to this text, I therefore say, having there undergone sleepless nights, that Gamberini was elevated to the post of Grand Master." (46) May whoever understands draw the necessary consequences...!

John XXIII refrains from condemning Freemasonry

Retracing our steps, we can say that until now we have examined the relations between Angelo Roncalli and Freemasonry or, at least, with certain masons. A question now remains: what was John XXIII's attitude once elected Pope? The first fact is significant: John XXIII never condemned Freemasonry. (47) This is even stranger when one considers the fact that since the Bull In Eminenti of 28 April 1738 through which Clement XII condemned for the first time Masonry and excolmugated its adepts, the popes have continuously produced, "a vast number of documents condemning and excommunicating" masonry and its members.  According to Fr Esposito, "we do not yet have an exact statistic, but as far we are currently able to approximate a number with a high degree of probability, this corpus antimassonicum should not be inferior to 400-500 documents", of which Pius XI alone would account for 145, and Leo XIII for more than 226! (48) In this "battle on the front line" ("guerra guerreggiata" to retake the Italian expression of Fr Esposito) between the  Church and Masonry, the last pope to raise its voice against the sect was Pius XII, as late as 23 May 1958 only a few months before his death. Afterwards we have seen nothing but silence, or rather, a series of conciliatory documents coming first out of Episcopal Conferences and then from the "Holy See", culminating in the abrogation of the excommunication [in the old code of Canon Law] on 28 November 1983. (49) Ignorant of the change in course effectuated by John XXIII, Bishops continued for a certain time to condemn Masonry, such as the Argentinian episcopate in 1959, or the episcopate of Rwanda in 1961. (50) At the same time as the declaration of the Rwandan bishops, according to which Masonry is an instrument of Satan, the Jesuit Father Michel Riquet, "with the agreement of the ecclesiastical authorities", held a conference in the lodge Volney de Laval in France, on 18 March 1961... For the first time, and under John XXIII's reign, the general public was made aware of the dialogue currently taking place between various representatives of Masonry and the Church. The great turnaround had started.

John XXIII's turnaround

Even if John XXIII with his silence with respect to Masonry had broken off the chain of condemnations and excommunications accumulated by all his predecessors, one could not however say that he was indifferent on this subject. According to the unanimous agreement of the experts, the beginnings of the turn-around can be traced to his pontificate, initiating for the first time a dialogue. Let us give the word to the witnesses. The Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of France, Dupuy, declared that "John XXIII and Vatican II have given a formidable impetus to the resolution and the reciprocal reconciliation in the relations between the Church and Masonry." (51) Léon de Poncins, the great enemy of Masonry, wrote, "The campaign working for the rapprochement between Freemasonry and the Church remained however in a latent state under the pontificate of Pius XII; obviously the fire smoldered under the ashes, but the progressivists that had attained a considerable influence within the Church were aware that their efforts had no chance of succeeding during the pope's lifetime (...). With the advent of John XXIII (...) there was suddenly something like an explosion (...). One had the clear impression of a meticulously orchestrated international campaign..." (52) The Grand Master of Freemasonry at the time, Salvini, declared in 1970: "John XXIII has recently published a document that, on this subject, becomes closely aligned to our attitudes [consisting in refraining from asking members their religious affiliation] and indeed Mater et Magistra as well as Pacem in Terris offer very suggestive ideas about how to bring together humans where there exist ideological differences." (53) The mason Volpicelli stated that, "two recent pontiffs are equally appreciated by both communities [the Church and Masonry], Pope John and Pope Wojtyla." (54) In veritable masonic language, Fr Esposito assures us that, "with regards the ecclesial community, we needn't even demonstrate that since Pope John and the Council it has been transformed into a worksite where stonemasons, sculptors and artists of all kinds, architects and chaplains, are consacrated to a thankless and meticulous task in order to construct the new cathedral of the future." (55) The Catholic Alec Mellor, who entered the lodge with the permission of the Cardinal Archbishop of Paris, Mgr Maurice Feltin, wrote, "The final phase [of the "cease fire"] was to be prepared by the aggiornamento desired by John XXIII and Vatican II, and then by Paul VI." (56) Roberto Fabiani wrote, "It was John XXIII who broke the ice with a measure that passed completely under silence by authorizing protestants converted to Catholicism and enrolled in Masonry to quietly remain within the lodges. Since then signals suggesting closer contacts have multiplied..." (57) The Jesuit priest José Antonio Ferrer Benimelli confirms Roncalli's openess to the possibility of a dual affiliation: "And this [that Masonry is an association in which all Christians can be enrolled] was understood very well by John XXIII and Paul VI, just as it was understood by Cardinal Ratzinger's predessor in the same office, Cardinal Seper, who in 1972 had already expressed the wish that the Catholic presence inside Masonry be made possible." (58) Marsaudon affirms the same: "Mgr Roncalli formally advised me to remain within Masonry. (...) He received me at Castel Gandolfo in my capacity as minister emeritus of the Order of Malta, granting me his blessing, and renewing his encouragement in the work for the rapprochement between the churches, as well as for that between the Church and Traditional Masonry (that is: the regular variety)." (59)

This overview, however brief, demonstrates that those knowledgeable with this question judge that John XXIII's reign overturned the centuries-old intransigence of the Church with respect to Masonry with an openness that went as far as permitting a "dual" affiliation in the Church and Masonry.

 

The great concordances between Roncalli and Masonry

Already since 1967, Fr Esposito was involved in a dialogue with Masonry. In order to show that this dialogue is both licit and possible, he wrote numerous works, several of which are cited in this article, such as Le grandi concordanze tra Chiesa e Massoneria ["The great concordances between the Church and Masonry"], for example. In reality, the "concordances" we are referring here between the Church and Masonry are non-existent; such only exist between the latter and John XXIII, Paul VI, and John Paul II. To confirm the existence of such concordances, Fr Esposito is not happy with only mentioning the direct relations between certain men of the Church with those of Masonry, but he equally cites relations with associations or principles which, even if not explicitly masonic, have been either founded or desired by Masonry, such as the United Nations with its Universal Declaration of the rights of man, the Red Cross, the Boy Scouts, and the Rotary Club. In this article I will discuss John XXIIII's relationship with these organizations.

1) The UN and the Declaration of the rights of man. et la Déclaration des droits de l’homme. On the 10th of December 1948, the UN voted on a Declaration on the rights of man which repeated, in name and content that of the French revolution, already condemned by Pius VI. votait une Déclaration des droits de l’homme qui reprenait, de nom et de contenu, celle de la Révolution française, déjà condamnée par le Pape Pie VI. But, "with John XXIII," writes Esposito, "starts the epoch for the overturning of Catholic narcissism. The acceptance of the rules of dialogue and ecumenism inaugurates the law of reciprocity, in the sense that one admits the existence and explicitly recognizes one's own values and those of others (...). In the encylical Pacem in terris (11 April 1963) pope John explicitly mentioned the UN while praising the Declaration of the rights of man: "The essential goal of the organization of the United Nations is that of maintaining and consolidating peace among people, to favour and foster between them friendly relations founded upon the principle of equality, of reciprocal respect and the greatest collaboration possible in all sectors of human activity. (...) One of the greatest acts accomplished by the UN has been the Universal Declaration of the rights of man adopted on 10 December 1948 by the general Assembly of the United Nations. (...) Certain points from this Declaration have raised objections and are the subject of justified reservations. Nevertheless, We consider this Declaration a step towards the establishment of a juridical-political organization for a world-wide community." (60) John XXIII therefore substantially approves (even if he voices generic reservations) that which has been condemned by the Church.

2) The Scouting movement. Having demonstrated the masonic origin of the Scouting movement (pp. 297-300) and its slow assimilation by Catholics after the death of St Pius X, Fr Esposito recounts one of John XXIII's homilies delivered on the occasion of the international pilgrimage of the Catholic Scouts from 13 June, 1962. "The pontiff (...) as was his custom highlighted the need to seek points of harmony between the diverse human elements, leaving on a secondary plane without even mentioning the points of divergence and rupture." "The beauty of your young and ardent service will be an attraction...etc," he said, "it will contribute to surmount all barriers that remain between men, helping them to recognize themselves as sons of God and members of a single large family. Therein lies the success of your Movement, its honour and glory." Did John XXIII intend to encourage Catholic Scouts to work for the conversion of all infidels to the only Church of Christ, or rather, sicut litterae sonant, did he intend to restore to Scouting "one of the most authentic aspects of the movement" taken away by its Catholic roots, otherwise known as, "interconfessional tolerance"?(61) (61).

3) The Rotary Club. Prezzolini wrote, "Rotary members are somewhat like grown-up Boy Scouts that have been favoured by success..." (62) The famous writer (no doubt) ignored how far he was right, at least with regards the common origin of both associations. Fr Esposito in fact recalled the masonic spirit of the Rotary Club (and one could say of so many other similar associations) with these illuminating words, "

"The existing relationship between these organizations and Masonry (...) is structural, not only due to its foundation, on the 23rd of February 1905, by the lawyer Paul P. Harris from Chicago  and three of his mason colleagues, but also due to the ideological and juridical mark of the Club, which inserts within society the best of a secularized initiatory message, that is, one that excludes restrictive and initiatory aspects which - by always clearly excluding religious confessionality - have a certain sacred but secular character." Thus the Catholic Church's position with regards the Rotary Club could only be one of opposition. In Spain (23 January 1929), in Holland and in certain countries from South America, the bishops simply forbade Catholic membership in the Club. As for the Holy See, two documents from 15 January 1929 and 11 January 1951 prohibited clerical membership. With respect to the laity, the decree approved by Pius XII specifies, "they must be exhorted to observe what has been prescribed in canon 684 of the Code of Canon Law." Which states, "May the faithful (...) guard themselves from secret associations; those that are condemned, seditious, suspect, or that try to evade the legitimate vigilance of the Church." (63) But even here again we see at work "the turnaround of pope John", following Esposito's expression (p. 344). 344). For this affair, we have the relatively detailed version (64) of a protagonist, the lawyer Omero Ranelletti (65) who plays a similar role (a smaller one, it is to be understood!) to that of his "elder brother", Jules Isaac. The Church's condemnations and suspicions were a thorn on the side of the Rotarians who had could only recrute Catholics with difficulty; several attempts at "reconciliation" were carried out, and in all these, Ranelletti played a role. Without success in 1929. Again without success from 1949-1950, when international President Hodgson, Governor Lang and Rotary secretary at Rome, Gancia, attempted to be received by Pius XII. "They waited in the courtyard of St Damaso for permission to go to the audience hall, but they waited in vain. The Church authorities, upon learning of their status as Rotarians, did not consent to the audience. The attempt, carried out in the interest and for the good of the Rotary Club, was unsuccessful." (66) Hardly had Pius XII died when the new President Clifford A. Randall, without wasting time, wrote to Ranelletti: he wanted an audience with the newly elected John XXIII! Ranelletti tested the ground before Fr Martegani (2 December 1958), and then, with greater confidence went to Mgr Capovilla, Roncalli's private secretary first in Venice and later in the Vatican. Capovilla was an old friend (since 1945) of Rotary president of Venice, Ambrosini, who, writing precisely to Capovilla, described Roncalli as, "such a tolerant and understanding Patriarch with respect to Rotarian activity." (67)  Ranelletti confirmed that, "During his stay in Venice, Pope John several times had the chance of approaching the Rotarians of the city, which is why he was up to date with our institution." (68) This is how, while the nearby Archbishop of Milan, cardinal Schuster, included the Rotary Club in the diocesan journal of Milan among the, "diverse esoteric forms of a single Masonry" (69) and Rome renewed its condemnations, Patriarch Roncalli flirted with Rotarian brethren! Strange, isn't it so? The fact is that after a telephone call, Ranelletti and Capovilla met on the 6th of February 1959 and talked for an hour. It goes without saying that Ranelletti made an "excellent impression" upon Capovilla, describing the tribulations of the past and the failed attempts [at being heard by the pope]. This time, he was not to fail: on February 25, the secretariat of Mgr Nasalli Rocca di Corneliano informs Ranelletti that, "the Holy Father will receive in audience president Randal on April 20." "I rejoice together with you", Capovilla wrote Ranelletti on the following 2nd of March. Ranelletti communicated the good news to Randall, "recommending him to exercise the greatest reserve", and afterwords wrote to Capovilla, "...within the official format for the audience with the Holy Father (...) I precise that - as agreed with you - this audience is requested for the lawyer Clifford A. Randall, President of Rotary International, accompanied by his wife, Madame Renata, the former International President G.P. Lang, the current Governors of Rotary in Italy [Giovanni Di Raimondo and Leo Spaur] as well as myself. In this way, to the hommage of devotion which the International President is about to offer His Holiness in the name of all the Rotarian family spread over 111 countries around the world, we add the special hommage (...) of our Italian Rotarian family." (70) Clearly, it was paradoxical that the "Rotarian family" whose Catholic members were enrolled against the will of the Holy See, would be received by John XXIII! This was the realization of the secret chamberlain participating in the service, who told Ranelletti twice that the audience was granted in their capacity as private individuals, and not as Rotarians. To which Ranelletti countered with the agreement reached with Capovilla, presenting himself at the sight of, "the unparalleled sweet and kind smile" of "Pope John" in his capacity as Rotarian, presenting the homage "of the entire Rotarian family of the world", to which John XXIII, "offered a word of kindness for everyone, comforting us, and ending with his apostolic blessing." (71) L'Osservatore Romano and Civiltà Cattolica ignored this audience reported in all other journals. But from then on the Rotarians were the winners. All resistance collapsed from then on when, "on March 20, 1963, pope John granted Rotary a second audience. It was the Rotarians of district no. 188, that of Rome, which went to the audience. (...) The group was placed very close to the pontifical throne. Pope John, "addressed them with words of profound kindness and gave them his paternal blessing, extended to all the Rotarians of the world." The Rotarian delegates Gelati, Caria, and Ranelletti this time were presented, "in their official capacity [as Rotarians]." (72) To close off this chapter, let us leave with the commentary of the Rotarian Ubertone, "If we reflect today on certain attitudes taken within Catholic circles, on the accusations against Rotary of being associations, 'openly hostile to Catholicism' and 'where morality is nothing less than a travesty of secular-masonic morals', and we compare them with currently existing relations between Rotary and the Church; if we think of the admonition to clergy and Catholics to 'stay away' from Rotary while we observe among Club members priests and prelates, where in one case, Fr Frederico Weber S.J. has been governor of a District, it appears to us that the facts recounted by Ranelletti are the chronicles from a different world. a été gouverneur d’un District, il nous semble que les faits racontés par Ranelletti sont des chroniques d’un autre monde. And they were in effect from another world. Today, where we behold ecumenical gatherings [approved] at a very high level, it appears inconceivable that one could reproach Rotary of "evading the legitimate supervision of the Church." Similarly, given the current openness with respect to all religions, declared "worthy of respect", such a harsh position towards a free association that therefore proclaims itself the restorer of high moral principles in the professional and business domains, of an association whose sole goal is the "common good of society"; this stance appears equally inconceivable. It is Pope John and the Council which represent the watershed moment between the two epochs." (73)

 

The denials of Mgr Capovilla

As we have seen, all signs converge; John XXIII did not oppose Masonry while even favouring it; he espoused, at least in part, its principles; he held the possibility of being at the same time a Catholic and mason, and consistent with this position, he was probably himself initiated into Masonry. Faced with such heavy evidence, especially coming from testimonies who base their esteem for him on it, will no one rise in his defense?

Truth be said, there is one trustworthy figure who was denied any collusion between Masonry and John XXIII: his faithful secretary, the Archbishop Loris François Capovilla.

As far as I know, Capovilla has made two interventions in this regard: the first time in 1976 with two articles in L'Osservatore Romano, and lately, in a freely flowing interview with John XXIII's nephew, Marco Roncalli. In 1976 Capovilla intervened, indignant at Pier Carpi's book, "Le profezie di Papa Giovanni" ["Pope John's Prohecies"].  Written by a mason and edited by a freemasonic publisher, Mediterranean Publishing, let us recall that the book affirmed Roncalli's purported affiliation with the Rosicrucians in Turkey. Capovilla firmly denied this, on the basis of the nuncio's schedule and the register of Masses he officiated in Turkey at the time. In the interview with Marco Roncalli, Capovilla returns to this question (p 117). In his book, Capovilla develops the argument somewhat by describing more fully John XXIII's relations with Masonry. According to Capovilla, the rumours of "masonic conspiracies whose objective is the destruction of the tradition and unity of the Church" are "fantasies to trigger polemics" (75); these are inconceivable things (p. 89). "Currently" Capovilla excludes "mingling" with Masonry, although perhaps in the past... (p 88)! After which he sides with American masonry, which has "never been been in conflict with religion" (ibidem). However, when it comes to John XXIII, the faithful secretary becomes cautious, almost contradicting himself... He in fact alludes to two episodes, both from 1962: a telegram received from a masonic lodge expressing wishes towards John XXIII's recovery, and a note from John XXIII's own hand, summarizing some information from the Apologetic Dictionary of the Catholic Faith, concerning the condemnation of masonry by popes. With regards to the telegram, John XXIII, "with his own hand wrote this instruction to the Secretary of State: 'To courteous compliments, giving thanks is due. But no verbal compromises with Masonry and the like.' " (76) According to Capovilla, he distances himself, but it seems to me the opposite: no pope has ever replied with or without courtesy to letters or telegrams from Masonry! The second piece of information (the list of pontifical condemnations), in itself insignificant, takes on signifcance by how Roncalli eventually intends to use it. "Does the pope have in mind to make a new condemnation?", the two philo-masonic Jesuits Ferrer Benimelli and Caprile asked Capovilla in 1979. At this time Capovilla became a little more open: "I don't think that he had the intention of making a new condemnation," he replied, "but he desired to know the matter more deeply". He precisely thought about cautiously reviewing all contacts in any eventual "negotiations". Therefore in 1979 Capovilla presents a John XXIII that while refusing to condemn Masonry, still thinks about cautiously maintaining "contacts" and "talks". In 1994, he corrected himself and in doing so his style became more ambiguous, "I confirm the substance of what is affirmed in the cited volume", but... "I explain the meaning of the adverb carefully. Courtesy will never mean complacency. Meeting and engaging in dialogue will never be tantamount to compromising and softening one's views in light of the condemnations against masonry still in place." (p 89); and asked whether these negotiations took place, he drily replied, "I have never heard about them" (ibidem).

Is Capovilla's defense credible? We have our legitimate doubts. Not only because the first argument (referring to the telegrams between Masons and the Vatican) rather confirms the accusation, while the second argument has been variously interpreted by Capovilla himself, but also due to revealing omissions. In fact, if I am not mistaken, Capovilla has never denied neither the affirmations of the Grand Masterrs Gaito and Rangel, nor those from Marsaudon's three books, which are truly crushing for Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli! Why such obstinate silence? Yet Marsaudon's books have been taken up and cited among others by Fr Esposito and it is strange that Capovilla, informed as he is of everything concerning John XXIII, would be unaware [of such assertions].  Pier Carpi's somewhat outlandish book seems to have served as a red herring to try to discredit a much more seriously founded argument, that of the masonic affiliation of John XXIII, a little like [Leo] Taxil's falsifications [about masonry] in his time [(in the 19th century)]. Thus, whoever asserts Roncalli's affiliation will be charged with being one of Pier Carpi's disciples and therefore be the object of mockery, just as those who believe in the Satanic origin of Masonry are accused of imitating Léo Taxil. We would therefore be dealing with the classic masonic tactic of distraction to hide the fact that they're not giving the whole story.

 

Masonry and Ecumenism

I have derived the idea of the proximity between the words Masonry and ecumenism from the book by Marsaudon, "Ecumenism viewed by a Traditional Mason". The motto of the intimate friend of John XXIII (from a passage of the masonic ritual) is perfectly ecumenical: "Ad dissipata colligenda: bring together that which is dispersed." (p. 59) 59). It could be said that ecumenism is the legitimate heir of Masonry, which unites in a superior tradition and at the service of man, all religious confessions... "We are thinking, for example," writes Marsaudon, "on the famous bull of excommunication thundered by Clement XII against our predessors (...). Today, we are aware of the real motives behind its promulgation. Clement refused quite simply to our predecessors the possibility of receiving adepts from different confessions. In our day, our brother Franklin Roosevelt has claimed for all men the possibility of "adoring God according to their principles and convictions". That is tolerance and it is also ecumenism! We will allow ourselves, a traditional Freemason, to paraphrase and translate the words of a statesman by adapting them to the circumstances: Catholics, Orthodox, Protestants, Israelites, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, free-thinkers, free-believers are for us only first names; Freemason is the family name." (p. 126). "Pius IX or even Leo XIII are from now on, we will not go as far as saying condemnded, but manifestly forgotten. At the beginning of this study we cited the Reverend Fr. Lépicier, a cardinal at death, and a fierce slayer of heretics. Lépicier, mort cardinal, et farouche pourfendeur d’hérétiques. Today not only do we hear about a rapprochement, but - and this is the Revolution desired by John XXIII - also about liberty of conscience. We do not believe that a Freemason worthy of the name, himself committed to practicing tolerance, could congratulate himself without any restriction of the irreversible results of the Council, whatever the momentary conclusions. (...) It is clear that the uncompromisingly dogmatic Church must one day disappear or adapt in order to accomadate a return to the Sources. Together with all truly sincere Christians, we cannot but hope that John XXIII did not live, work, pray, suffer, and die in vain." (pp. 119-20).

Therefore it can be no coincidence that the first resounding gesture by John XXIII in the area of ecumenism was precisely concerned with a mason, the Anglican primate Geoffrey F. Fischer, the "Archbishop" of Canterbury, received in the Vatican on December 2, 1960. Former Grand Master Gamberini wrote, "Initiated in the lodge Old Reptonian, no. 3725 of the Grand Lodge of England in 1916," Fischer, "in 1939 fulfilled the office of Grand Chaplain for this Mother Grand Lodge of the world, an office which in Masonry of the latin-Catholic tradition is designated by the term of Grand Orator." (78) Fr Esposito asks: "At the beginning of the dialogue between Rome and London which precisely started with Fischer, does the fact that (Fischer) had previously been active, or perhaps was even still an active member in the Lodge, play any role?" Certainly a meeting of "two Popes and two initiated members of the hierarchy", two use Esposito's words which allude to John XXIII and Fischer, as well as Paul VI and Athenogoras (and it would be appropriate to add the high-ranking Jules Isaac!): there is something to surprise us! (79). Did John XXIII ignore that Fischer was not only a heretic but also a mason? It is difficult to think so given that members of the Anglican hierarchy are commonly initiated into Masonry. (80)

The next article in the series will therefore be dedicated to the ecumenism of John XXIII. Which is another way of speaking of his adherence to masonry...

 

Notes:

 

1.     La Loggia è una casa di vetro, Interview with VIRGILO GAITO by FABIO ANDRIOLA, published in L’Italia settimanale on 26 January 1994 (n° 3), p. 74.

2.     Giuliano il Teista. Interview with VIRGILIO GAITO by GIOVANNI CUBEDDU, published in 30 Giorni, n° 2, February 1994, p. 29.

3.     “It was in Paris that the non-intiates Angelo Roncalli and Giovanni Montini were initiated on the same day to the lofty mysteries of the brotherhood. Thus, there is nothing strange about many things carried out during the Second Vatican Council by John XXIII being based on masonic principles and postulates.” Taken from Proceso n° 832, 12/10/1992, cited by C.D.L. Reporter 1995, n° 179, p. 14.

4.     Cf. Sodalitium, n° 25, p. 22-23.

5.     Cf. Sodalitium, n° 25, pp. 9-24 and n° 26, pp. 25-33.

6.     Cf. PADRE ROSARIO ESPOSITO S.S.P., Santi e massoni al servizio dell’uomo, Bartogi, Foggia 1992, p. 216.

7.     Cf. MAURIZIO BLONDET, Gli Adelphi della dissoluzione, Ares, Milan 1994, pp. 49-51.

8.     Cf. Sodalitium, n° 27, pp. 12-20 and n° 28, pp. 9-24.

9.     ALDO ALESSANDRO MOLA, Storia della Massoneria italiana dall’Unità alla Republica, Bompiani, Milano, 1976, pp. 548 and 624.

10.  FRAY C. SANTE, De Don Miguel Matèu Pla al schisma, pasando por el Noncio Roncalli, in Que pasa?, n° 459, from 14 Octobre 1972, cited by TOMÀS TELLO, Sombras y penumbras de la figura Roncalli (alias Juan XXIII) at pp. 21-22.

11.  To be more precise these are: L’OEcuménisme vu par un Franc-Maçon de Tradition, Vitiano, Paris, 1964 (with a preface by Charles Riandey, Grand Commander of the Supreme Council in France of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, and dedicated to, “The memory of Angelo Roncalli…Father of all Christians, Friend of all men, to his venerable successor, H.H. Pope Paul VI”; De l’initiation maçonnique à l’orthodoxie chrétienne, Dervy, Paris 1965; Souvenirs et réflexions; un haut dignitaire de la Franc-Maçonnerie de tradition révèle ses secrets, Vitiano, Paris 1976.

12.  Oswald Wirth (1865-1943), initiated into Masonry in 1882 (Grand Lodge of France) reacted against the abandonment of symbolism by numerous masons and thus finds himself in harmony with another well-known spiritualist mason, René Guénon (1886-1951). Cf ALEC MELLOR, Dictionnaire de la Franc-Maçonnerie et des Franc-Maçons, Belfond, Paris 1971-1979, pp 268 and 318. Wirth himself was secretary and the preferred disciple of Stanislas de Guaita (1861-1897), founder and the Kabbalistic Order of Rose-Croix, occultist, morphine addict, accused of Satanism (unjustly according to Introvigne, despite his books, such as: Le temple de Satan, La clé de la magie noire et Essai de sciences maudites). Moreover, de Guaita considered the famous Kabbalistic magus Eliphas Levi (pseudonym of the ex-cleric Alphonse-Louis Constant) as the “Master of Masters”. For the record: Guaita was very friendly with the literary personality Maurice Barrès, with whom he also founded a Martinist order. Besides Mellor’s dictionary (a well known “Catholic” mason), also cf. MASSIMO INTROVIGNE, Il Cappello del Mago - Le chapeau du mage, Sugarco, Milano 1990, pp. 152-154, 187-189, 225.

13.  Cf. MARSAUDON, L’oecuménisme..., op. cit., p.45. The biographical notes on Marsaudon are all drawn from this work, pp. 20 to 44.

14.  Cf. MARSAUDON, Souvenirs..., op. cit.:I have not been able to consult the book that I cite from TELLO, op. cit., p. 7.

15.  Cf. MARSAUDON, L’OEcuménisme..., op. cit., pp. 45-46, Souvenirs..., at TELLO, op. cit., p. 7.

16.  MARSAUDON, L’OEcuménisme..., op. cit., p. 45.

17.  MARSAUDON, Souvenirs..., op. cit., p. 263.

18.  MARSAUDON, De l’initiation...., op. cit., pp. 135-136, reported by ROSARIO F. ESPOSITO S.S.P.; Le grandi concordanze tra Chiesa e Massoneria, Nardini, Florence 1987, pp. 390-391.

19.  Cf. Sodalitium, n° 28, p. 28 where Burckardt’s quote is fully reported.

20.  Cf. Documentation catholique, year 1961, col.1193 and 1262 (Brief and new constitutions), col. 1477 (cardinal Giobbe is named patron of the Order), and year 1962, col. 1029 (election of the new Grand Master).

21.  Cf. PROSPER JARDIN, Les Chevaliers de Malte. Une perpétuelle croisade, Librairie Académique Perrin, Paris, 1974, pp. 305 à 308. There also exists a separate branch of Lutheran confession, the Johanniter Orden (cf. pp. 299 à 303).

22.  “If we have insisted a little on the question of the Order of Malta, it is because it is interesting from the ecumenical point of view. It is precisely because it [the Order] is sovereign that it has been able to admit within its bosom Knights of Orthodox confession. A Roman association, initially created in Paris, is from now on installed in the same seat of the Grand Magisterium [at Rome]. Perhaps neither will it be useless to recall that Tsar Paul I was Grand Master of the Order.” Marsaudon, L’OEcuménisme..., op. cit., p. 40.

23.  Considering itself a continuation of the Templar Order, Masonry has always had a predilection for knightly orders.

24.  Marsaudon affirms having been presented to the Minister of the Order in France, de Pierredon, by a high-ranking mason and Knight of Malta, and affirms that the president of the Hospitaller Association of Works of the Order in France, Justin Godard, former health minister, was also a mason (L’OEcuménisme..., op. cit., p. 44). Mola (op. cit., p. 599, note 4) speaks about, “penetration of esoteric currents and particularly mesmerism inside the Order of the Knights of Malta”, sending the reader to the work of ERNLE BRADFORD, Lo scudo e la spada. Storia dei Cavalieri di Malta. Mursia, Milano 1975, pp. 201-203.

25.  “Nicola Canali (1874-1961), ordained priest in 1900, secretary and companion to Merry del Val, to whom he showed until after his death a tireless fidelity, (attempting successfully to open up his beatification process), refusing any diplomatic post to remain at his service. Substitute at the Secretariat of State in 1908, secretary of Ceremonial Congregation in 1914, advisor to th Holy Office in 1926 (where Merry del Val had previously been its secretary), cardinal deacon in 1935 and grand penitentiary, Grand Prior of the Order of Malta and Grand Master of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre, under Pius XII he directed the entire financial and material administration of the Vatican.” (EMILE POULAT, Intégrisme et catholicisme integral, Casterman, Tournai 1969, p. 587). The best known book about the case of the Order of Malta, a book considered “outrageous” by historian Andrea Riccardi (Il partito romano, Morcelliana Brescia 1983, p. 61, note 83), is that of the well known but controversial writer ROGER PEYREFITTE (I cavalieri di Malta, Florence 1957in the Italian edition) where one also finds numerous allusions to Cardinal Canali.

26.  See Marsaudon’s accusations in his book, L’OEcuménisme..., op. cit., p. 39, and de JARDIN dans Les Chevaliers..., op. cit., p. 313.

27.  MARSAUDON, L’OEcuménisme..., op. cit., p. 21

28.  Franco Bellegrandi, ex-chamberlain of the Cape and Sword of His Holiness, and collaborator to L’Osservatore Romano, in 1977 wrote a book that was only edited in 1994, where its public presentation in Rome provoked an uproar from the national press, because among the participants in the presentation was Cardinal Silvio Oddi. The book, edited by E.I.L.E.S. from Rome and titled Nichita Roncalli. Controvita di un Papa, holds to a large number of the theses from the series of articles published by Sodalitium. However, in our opinion, its principle weakness lies in the author’s irreverential style, and in the almost absolute lack of documentation: Bellegrandi reports the gossip (or the facts he witnessed) of the Vatican court to which he belonged, without discriminating between serious information and baseless gossip. It is just for this reason that within “traditionalist” circles (such as in the Tuscan journal Controrivoluzione, for instance), Bellegrandi’s book has been demolished. However, it does not appear to me that all of Franco Bellegrandi’s claims should be considered dubious; they can be very useful if supported by the necessary verifications.

29.  F. BELLEGRANDI, Nikitaroncalli, op. cit., pp. 59-61.

30.  A.A. MOLA, op. cit., p. 628.

31.  Cf. A.A. MOLA, op. cit., p. 626; R. ESPOSITO, Le grande concordanze..., op. cit., pp. 119, 388, 409.

32.  John XXIII was received into the Order of Malta on June 24, 1961, while Canali died on August 2 of the same year. In Il ‘partito romano’ nel secondo dopoguerra (1945-1954), Morcelliana, Brescia 1983, p. 62, n° 83, ANDREA RICCARDI notes some statements by Roncalli which allows one to perceive the latter’s contempt of Canali, “John XXIII wrote to cardinal Testa with regards to Canali’s role, ‘the post occupied in its own manner by the late cardinal Canali…’ (9-8-1961, in JEAN XXIII, Lettere 1958-1963, through the work of L. F. CAPOVILLA, Rome 1978, p. 307).

33.  Cf. Sodalitium, n° 29, pp. 15 to 17.

34.  Cf. Sodalitium, n° 33, pp. 39-40.

35.  Cf. Sodalitium, n° 34, p. 54.

36.  BENNY LAI, I segreti del Vaticano II da Pio XII a papa Wojtyla, Laterza, Roma-Bari 1984, pp. 82-83; Il Papa non eletto. Giuseppe Siri, Cardinale di Santa Romana Chiesa, Latereza, Roma-Bari 1993, p. 202, n° 7.

37.  GIULIO ANDREOTTI, A ogni morte di Papa. I Papi che ho conosciuto, Rizzoli, Milano 1980, p. 106. Senator for life Giulio Andreotti, protagonist in Italian politics from the post-war years up to the present day, is currently on trial for presumed collusion with the Mafia and Masonry, or rather, with the Mafia through the mediation of Masonry. According to certain of his accusers, he would have been the real head of the masonic lodge Propagande Due (P2). According to others, his contacts with the Mafia started when at the request of Paul VI, he intervened to protect the Sicilian (and mason) financier Sindona, who died (was suicided?) in prison.

38.  BENNY LAI, Il Papa non eletto, op. cit., p. 202, n° 7.

39.  We know that numerous lists have circulated, more or less trustworthy, of prelats initiated into Masonry. Among the various presumed affiliations, that of one is particularluy supported, namely Franziskus König, Archbishop of Vienna since 1956, created a cardinal by John XXIII on December 15, 1958. ROBERTO FABIANI, always well informed, affirms and specifies without hesitation and without sparing any words that he was inscribed in the secret masonic lodge, “Giustizia e Libertà” in the Piazza del Gesù. Cf. ROBERTO FABIANI, I Massoni in Italia, L’Espresso 1978, Farigliano, pp. 78 and 130. However it may be, following the example of his predecessor Cardinal Innitzer, König was a person very actively involved in dialogue with masonry. cf. R. ESPOSITO, Le grandi concordanze..., op. cit. pp. 26, 126, 163 to 167; R. ESPOSITO, La riconciliazione tra la Chiesa e la Massoneria, Longo, Ravenna, p. 12.König was an ardent supporter for the election of Cardinal Wojtyla in the last election.

40.  BENNY LAI, I segreti..., op. cit., p. 84.

41.  Ibidem, p. 83.

42.  Cf. B. LAI, I segreti..., op. cit., p. 85, B. LAI, Il Papa..., op. cit., p. 202, G. ANDREOTTI, op. cit., p. 106. It was the night before the conclave.

43.  PAUL VI, homily from June 21, 1972, cited by L’attività della Santa Sede, Tipografia Poliglotta Vaticana 1972, p. 221.

44.  Cf. BELLEGRANDI, op. cit., pp. 61-62.

45.  MARSAUDON, L’OEcuménisme..., op. cit., p. 47.

46.  A.A. MOLA, op. cit., pp. 598-599.

47.  One could object that in article 24 from the Roman Synod of 1960, Masonry has been again condemned on the basis of canon 2335 from the Code of Canon Law. However, as Fr. Esposito observes, “We are dealing with an act that appears to be a result of the force of inertia, and which only appears to reflect partially the ‘mind’ of the pope. Everything is performed perfunctorily, without even considering the question of the changed bistorical circumstances and its resulting repercussions both inside the Church and Masonry. In an analogous way, in theory, it is certain that the Church’s judgment of communism has not been attenuated, but in practical terms it has carried out acts where their kindness and fraternity required no comment – let us recall the audience granted to Adzhubeis, Khruschev’s son-in-law.” (P. ESPOSITO, Santi e Massoni... op. cit., p. 213). Capovilla himself, John XXIII’s secretary, despite being aware of the directives issued by the Roman Synod, confirmed that John XXIII did not issue a fresh condemnation of Masonry. (Jean XXIII, the memoirs of secretary Loris Capovilla. Interview by Marco Roncalli with inedited documents. Saint Paul, Cinisello Balsamo 1994, pp. 87 to 90 and 117).

48.  R. ESPOSITO, La riconciliazione...., p. 34 and n° 2.

49.  And this despite the pretensions of the Aleanza Cattolica. The new Code of Canon Law of 1983 no longer even mentions Masonry, and abrogates the excommunication decreed by canon 2335 of the Code of Canon Law of 1917 (the only legitimate code). To placate the Catholic reaction, Cardinal Ratzinger had to issue a “declaration on masonic associations” on November 26, 1983, a declaration in which it is affirmed that affiliation to masonry is still forbidden, with transgessors under pain of falling into mortal sin and therefore forbidden from receiving the Eucharist. While it is true that this represents a step backwards in comparison to his predecessor’s decision, Cardinal Seper, authorizing [Catholics’] dual membership (in the Church and certain masonic obediences), we are however no longer dealing with an excommunication since it is no longer decreed in the new Code. It’s the tactic of two steps forward, one step backwards. On this subject cf. DON CURZIO NITOGLIA, Infiltrations judéo maçonniques dans l’Eglise romaine in Sodalitium, n° 38, pp. 29 to 42 (especially 35-36: La fausse restauration des années 80).

50.  Cf. La Déclaration collective de l’épiscopat argentin du 20 février 1959 (dans la Documentation catholique, col. 483 à 488) et la Lettre pastorale collective des archevêques et évêques du Ruanda-Urundi (dans la Documentation catholique, 1961, col. 511 à 532).

51.  Cf. J. PLONCARD D’ASSAC, Le secret des francsmaçons, éd. de Chiré 1979, p. 169.

52.  LÉON DE PONCINS, Infiltrations ennemies dans l’Eglise, Documents et témoignages, Paris 1970, pp. 85-88.

53.  Catholic-masonic colloquium in Ariccia from 20/04/1970, in R. ESPOSITO, La riconciliazione..., op. cit., p. 79.

54.  Catholic-masonic debate in Lecce, from February 24 1979, op. cit., p. 114.

55.  Ibidem, p. 122.

56.  ALEC MELLOR, op. cit. p. 114.

57.  R. FABIANI, op. cit., p. 85.

58.  Article published in El Pais, Madrid, 10 March 1985, translated by Hiram, Roma, April 1985, and reported by R. ESPOSITO, Le grandi concordanze..., op. cit., p. 84.

59.  MARSAUDON, De l’initiation..., op. cit., pp. 135-136; cited by R. ESPOSITO, Le grandi concordanze..., op.cit., p. 391.

60.  R. ESPOSITO, Le grandi concordanze... op. cit., pp. 251-252.

61.  Ibidem, pp. 313 and 301.

62.  GIUSEPPE PREZZOLINI, Nel circolo dei Rotariani ci sono tutti i ‘primi della classe’, article published in Il Tempo of Rome, 10 March 1955.

63.  An article from Civiltà Cattolica specifies that Rotary should be labelled as an association that is “suspect”.

64.  OMERO RANELLETTI, La Chiesa cattolica e il Rotary Internazionale, in Realtà Nuova, monthly journal of the Rotary Club of Italy, Milan, n° 4, April 1972. The author carries out an updated version and a re-edition in 1975. I cite from the latest edition: OMERO RANELLETTI, Il Rotary e la Chiesa cattolica, Quaderni de Realtà Nuova, Istituto culturale rotariano, Torino 1991, with a preface by Alessandro Ubertone and an article about the author by Antonio de Majo.

65.  Born in Celano in 1885, he died in 1979 at the age of 94. Ranelletti declared himself a pious Catholic, an assertion we can doubt, and not only because of the high ranking offices in Rotary he held for a long time ever since founding the Club in Rome in 1924. He was in fact Chief of Staff in the Department of Public Education for many years, and until 1920, under the minister Ruffini in the Nitti government. The senator Ruffini, a liberal, professor of ecclesiastical law, was an ardent supporter of religious liberty, the same as a defender of Masonry; Nitti, also a liberal, is referred to as a mason by certain authors (cf. for the debated question, GIANNI VANNONI, Massoneria, Fascismo et Chiesa Cattolica, Laterza, Bari 1979, p. 71. “Having left office – according to Ubertone – he worked together with the deputy Andrea Torre in the foundation and administrative direction of the opposition journal to the regime Il Mondo in which I collaborated, covering subjects related to problems in education and culture, in loyal collaboration with Giovanni Amendola, Meuccio Ruini, Alberto Cianca and others, until 1925 when the journal had to stop publishing”. Now the deputy Ruini occupied a notoriously high rank within Masonry (cf. MOLA, op. cit., p. 258); the following were also masons: deputy Torre (cf. MOLA, op. cit., p. 389), deputy Amendola (cf. VANNONI, op. cit., p. 75 and note no. 25 p. 84; according to Mola’s opinion it is probable, cf. p. 492) and even Alberto Cianca as Mola insinuates (cf. p. 615). Is it likely that, alone among this wonderful clique of masons and philo-masons, Ranelletti had been, “a Catholic steadfast against all trials.” (cf. Ranelletti, p. 87)?

66.  O. RANELLETTI, op. cit., p. 86.

67.  Ibidem, p. 88. Letter of Decembre22, 1958 from Lando Ambrosini to Mgr Capovilla.

68.  Ibidem, p. 91.

69.  Rivista diocesana milanese, nov. 1949, pp. 240-241, cited by R. ESPOSITO, Le grandi concordanze..., p. 342.

70.  O. RANELLETTI, op. cit., pp. 89-90.

71.  Ibidem, p. 91.

72.  Ibidem, p. 93, and R. ESPOSITO, Le grandi concordanze..., op. cit., p. 346.

73.  Preface from the book by O. RANELLETTI, op. cit., p. 5.

74.  L’Osservatore Romano from 15-16 Novembre 1976 Italian edition (A declaration of His Excellency Mgr Capovilla. The book ‘Le profezie di Papa Giovanni’ is false and distorted) as well as from 23 December 1976. John XXIII, memoirs of his secretary Loris F. Capovilla, op. cit., pp. 87 à 90 et p. 117.

75.  The proof is that, Capovilla goes on to say, that among, “the protagonists  of the reform announced by pope John” were found irreproachable men such as Lercaro, Bugnini, Pellegrino, and Bevilacqua! (op. cit., p 87).

76.  The note is from December 6, 1962; it's me who put the characters in bold. The quote is taken from L'Osservatore Romano, Nov. 15-16, 1976, Italian edition.

77.  JOSÉ A. FERRER BENIMELLI – GIOVANNI CAPRILE, Massoneria e chiesa cattolica. Ieri, oggi e domani, Roma 1979, p. 71, cited by RONCALLI-CAPOVILLA, pp. 88-89.

78.  GIORDANO GAMBERINI, Mille volti di massoni, Roma, Erasmo, 1975, p. 229, cited by R. ESPOSITO, Santi e massoni... op. cit., p. 214.

79.  R. ESPOSITO, Santi e massoni..., op. cit., p. 213.

80.  Esposito mentions studies according to which in 1955, a good 17 anglican “bishops” and 500 “prelates” were found among the ranks of no less than the last and highest grades of Masonry (op. cit., p. 214).