The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1870-06-18
A Masonic Document.

nacles of tsThe Sun" This circular is also
interesting to the general public; where
fore we reproduce it in this paper.
The writing is as follows:
s<The ufion Of the freemasons does not
generally take part in the political and re-
ligious q~uarreIs and parties Of the times.
AS a moral league for all mankind it unltes
men of different political parties and rellg-
ions with the common tie of brotherly love.
But our neutrality cannot possibly be kept
up, if either the existence OF the covenant
itself is attacked, or if those moral treasures
are threatened, which mankind has hitherto
obtained and whicFrare absolutely necessary
for it's destiny. In tbese cases. the interest
of self preservation and the duty to- stand
I'D for those treasures, oblIge us to watch
fitness and self defence. In this con>idera-
ton. we direct yotr attention to those -ultl-
mate plans of Rome, which menace the
moral peace and the intellectual progress Of
civilized mankind. These plans are, with
out doubt, partly drawn up and partly sup
ported by the mortal enemies OF our Lodge,
the Order Of the Jesuits-
LAS far as the present Roman Council, to
which pope Plus TX has summoned all Ro-
man Catholic bishops from all parts of the
world, will merely arrange matters of the
Catholic worship, OF of the discipline Of the
church, we have no cause to NEEDLE with
these affairs, which are entirely foreign to
us, Even their we'll known intention to
| pronounce the pope 'infallible,' touches US
much less than those modern states, whose
liberty is endangered by such a superhu-
man authority given to a man. We hold
it Cor understood that this infallibiity,
founded upon the faith of the church, can
have for US neither a convincing nor a bind
| ing force; because the moral law which we
| venerate as the highest rule for our con-
duct, is not derived from any religious au-
thority, but from plain human truths. Yes,
we have, before everything, to sustain the
right of our existence, Gas freemasons,)
against the authority of the pope, who de-
MED us the same in his allocution of the
25th of December, 1866, and also against
the authority of the Council, if it should
confirm the sentence of the pope. Our
union, devoted to humanity, is not an insti-
tuition of the Roman. Catholic Church, and
not subject to Roman hierarchy. As long
as the humane and liberal states protect our
rights and let Us live in liberty, we need not
fret about the papal anathema.
1--WE only acknowledge ourselves guilty
of one reproach which the pope made to US,
namely, that we are tolerant towards diff
ferent creeds.
"The pope may find a crime in this toler,
alton, but in the eyes of the civilized world
it is a virtue of which we need not to be
ashamed. All his other reproaches come
from constituting amiss our name of think.
ing and our aims. The pope is mistaken il
he reproaches US that we have caused the
European revolutions and wars for we de.
mand of all our members a conscientious
observance of their state laws, and our tab.
ernacles are temples of peace. The pope is
mistaken if he ascribes to US a glowing ha-
tired towards the Christian religion for
not only the greatest number of our mem.
bers profess the Christian faith, even ou1
covenant itself is, as a moral union, full Of
veneration for the founder of that faith,
who has revealed to the world the highest
ideal Of a moral being. The pope is mis-
taken when he calls US despisers and enc
mics of God, for the freemasons are by prin
ciple worshippers of God. Thus detecting
by our own personal experience, such gross
mistakes of the pope, We know with Ger
tainty that the pope is, as much as any
other mail, subject to error.
'"The Council, moreover, is called in order
to condemn the SO. called errors of our time,
which pope Plus TX has already condemned
and compiled in the syllabus errorum.
Amongst these supposed errors we recognize
important truths which are approved by the
hentire civilized world, and hich mankine
Shas to preserve faithfully, if it wants to full
fill its divine destiny. The pope condemns
in advance all philosophy and all scienc.
which eannot be modified, governed ant
limited by authority of the hierarchy. Blu
we know that science, according to its nat
ure, is and must be Independent of all reli
gious authority. We remember that tht
great discoveries and progresses in science
are entirely due to free research, to critica
observation and to logical thinking, ant
that almost every newly recognized trutt
had to war against the opposing authority
Eof the church,
1.-THE pope furthermore condemns the lib
erty of faith, and we honor it as one of th,
most holy acquisitions of man, which a
last, after a thousand years wars, suffering
and sacrifices, is now generally recognized
by the states, and which has put an end tt
the ruinous constraint in religion, and tn,
murderous persecution of heretics. Pin.
TX calls liberty Of conscience 'madne IS il
the Encyclica of the 9Th of December, 1856
like his predecessor, Gregory XVI; and W,
regard it as the necessary guarantee 70
every true and sincere relation of the hu
man soul to God, and the necessary found
alton of morality in opposition to lie an
hypocrisy. He likewise condemns the fre
exercise Of the different worships, and de
mands the exclusive rule of the Roman
Catholic religion in all countries. But w
find in the liberty of worship one of tn
most sacred rights of emancipated mankind
We are not astonished if the pope. in man,
writings, amongst others in the already pam
ed Encyclica, also condemns the liberty 9
press and speech as a terrible plague bn
we are of the opinion that the great tas|
which man has received from his maker
that of developing his intellectual capacitie
in a manifold manner, could not be futile
without that necessary liberty.
iii, finally, pope Plus TX declines ever
reconciliation of popery with progress, lit
erty and modern civilization (syI. 80,) s
we find in this declaration che avoWai tina
the papal doctrine is incapable and unfit t
understand and to accompany pregressin
humanity. Certainly, our covenant has
right and cause to examine those importar
truths, for they are for the moral task (
man of the greatest weight There meet i
our Lodges many humane and well educate
persons Of all classes Of society, who or
greatly interested in these questions, an
who may discuss and elucidate them wit
noble frankness, more SO than in Il othe