THE FREEMASONS.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume IX, Issue 443, 7 October 1881, Page 21

THE FREEMASONS.

The Jaffna Catholic Guardian remarks that continental Freemasons make no secret of the fact that one of the objects they propose to themselves is to combat the Catholic Church. According to the Monde Magonniqve, in a recent number, " all the Masonic lodges of Milan wish to profit by the occasion which the Universal Exposition affords them of organising a kind of national congress to which are invited all the regular Masons of Italy. This congress will meet in September and will consider (1) the necessity of convening at Rome a universal Masonic congress ; (2) the attitude that should be taken up in presence of the social agitation ; (3) the means suitable for gradually uniting Italian Freemasons ; (4) the more important reforms of which Italian Freemasonry has need ; (5) the best means to obtain the suppression of the religious congregations, and finally the different proposals made by the lodges and the brothers." It is not easy to understand what is meant by " the suppression of the religious congregations," Bince they have been suppressed for years ; but the intention of the Freemasons is quite apparent. It is to injure and cripple religion. Mgr. Rota, Archbishop of Cartagena, seeing this, has written to an Italian Catholic journal suggesting that a counter demonstration representing the Catholics of the world should be held at Rome towards the end of September. This suggestion may not be adopted, but an Italian pilgrimage representing the Catholics of the peninsula will be in Rome about the end of September, and therefore whilst on the one hand, Masonic Italy will be weaving schemes for the future, Catholic Italy will be attesting its strength and its devotion to the Holy See.— Bombay Catholic Exam oner.

Vanity Fair denies the report that the infant son of the Duke o Norfolk is;blind.