APOSTOLIC LETTER OF OUR MOST HOLY FATHER, LEO XIII, BY DIVINE PROVIDENCE POPE.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXI, Issue 19, 7 September 1894, Page 21

APOSTOLIC LETTER OF OUR MOST HOLY FATHER, LEO XIII, BY DIVINE PROVIDENCE POPE.

( Concluded.')

There is likewise a great danger threatening nnity on the part of that association which goes by the name of the Society of Freemasons, whose fatal influence for a long time past oppresses Catholic nations in particular. Favoured by the agitations of the times, and waxing insolent in its power, and resources, and success, it strains evtry nerve to consolidate its sway and enlarge its sphere. It has already sallied forth from its hiding places', where it hatched its plots, into the throng of cities, and, as if to defy the Almighty, has sat up its throne in this very Cit, of Home, the capital of the Catholic world. But what is most disastrous, is that wherever it h»s set its foot, it panetra-es into all raalss and departments of the commonweal h, in the hope of obtaioiog a last Bupreme control. This is indeed a great calamity, for its depraved principles and iniquitous designs are well known. Daier the pretence of vindicating the rights of man and of reconstitutinj society, it .attacks Ohris'ianity, it rejects revealed doctrine, den maces pra;ticis of piety, the divine Sacraments, and ev«ry sacred thin* as superstition ; it strives to eliminate the Christian character from marriage, and the family, and the edncation of youth, and frjm every form of instruction, whether public or private, and to not out from the minds of men all respect for authority whether human or divine. On its own part it preaches the worship of na-ure, and maintain* that by the principles of nature are truth and probity and justice to be measured and regulated. In this way, as is qnite evident, man is being driven to adopt customs and habits of life akin ti those of the heathen, on'y more corrupt in proportion as the incentives to sin are more numerous. Although We have spoken on this subject in the <str .naest

terms before, yet We are lei by Oar Apostolic w*,oaf il-ie« i, a - it once more, and We repeat Our warning a <ua *n i a**in, ttut in face of such an imminent peril, no precaution, howsoever great, can be looked upon as sufficient. May God in His mercy jriog to naught their impious designs; neverthele 88,8 8, let all Christians know and understand that the shamefnl yoke of Freemasonry must be stnken off once and for all ; and let them be the first to shake it off woo are most galled by its oppressiou-the men of Italy and of Prance With what weapons and by what meth ,d this may best be done We ourselves have already pointed out. The victory cannot be doubtfa* to those who trust in that leader, who 9 e divine words still remain in all their force, " I have overcome the world " Were this twofold danger averted and Government and Spates restored to the unity of faith, it is wonderful what efficacious remedies for evils and abundant store of benefits would ensue. We will touch upon the principal ones. The first regards the dignity and office of the Church. She would receive that honour which ia her due, and she would go on her way, free from envy and strong in h«r liberty, as the minister of gospel, truth, and grace, to the notable welfare of StaUs. For as she has been given by God as a teacher and quid. to the human race, she can contribute assistance which is peculiarly adaptsd to direct even the most radical transform!. ions of time to the common good, to happily solve the most complicated questions, and to promote npTightness and justice, which are the most solid foundations of th« Commonwealth. Moreover there would be a marked increase of union among the nations, a thing moat desirable at this time to ward off the horrors of war.

We behold the condition of Europe. For many y P ars past peace has been rather an appearance than a rtality. Possessed with mutual suspicions, almost all the nations are vying with one another in equipping themselves with military armaments. Inexperienced youths are removed from parental direction and contro', to b« thrown amid the dangers of a soldier's life ; robust young men are taken from agriculture or ennobling studies, or trade, or the arts, to be put under arms. Hence the treasuries of States are exhausted by the enormous expenditure, the national resoaroee are frittered away, and private fortunes impaired ; and this, as it were, armed peace, which now prevails, cannot last muih longer. Can this be the normal condition of human society ? Yet we cannot escape from this situation and obtain true peace except by the aid of Jesus Christ. For to reprtss ambiion and eovetousness and envy, the chief instigators of war, nothing is more fitted than the Christian virtues, and in particular the virtue of justice ; for by it« exercise both the law of nations and the faith of treaties maj be maintained inviolate, and the bonds of broherh.jod continue unbroken, if men are but con»incad that '• Justice exalteth a nation." As in its external rela ions, so in the internal life of the State itself, the Christian virtues will provide a guarantee of toe common weal much mire sure and stronger far than any which laws or armies can aff jrd. F_>r there is no one who does not see that the dangers to public security and order are daily on the increase, since sediiious societies con-inue to conspire for the overthrow and ruin of State?, as the frequency of their atrocious outrages testifies. There are two questions, forsooth, the one called the Social, the oher the Political question, which are discussed with the greatest vehemence. Both of tnem, without doubt, ar« of the last importance ; and though praisew »rthy eff irts have been put forth in studies and measures - U ! menla for their w »se and just solution, yet nothing could

contribute more to this purpose than that the minds of men in general should be imbued with right sentiments of duty from the internal principle of Christian Faith. We treated expressly of the social question in this sanae a abort time ago, from the standpoint of principles drawn from the Gospel and natural reason. As regards the political question, which aim? at reconciling liberty with authority, two things which maoy confound in theory and separate too widely in practice, most efficient aid may be derived from Christian philosophy. For, when th s poiat has been settled and recog. nised by common agreement, that whatsoever the form of government the authority is from God, reason at once perceives that in some there is a legitimate right to command, in others the correspending duty to obey, and that without prejudice to their dignity, since obedience is rendered to God rather than to man ; and God' has denounced the most rigoroHs judgment against those in antbority if they fail to represent Him with uprightness and justice. Then the liberty of the individual can afford ground of saspicion or envy to no one, since without injury to any his conduct will be guided by truth and rectitude and whatever is T »llied to public order. Lastly, if it bt considered wkat influence is possessed by the Church, the mother of, and peacemaker between, rulers and peoples, whose miision it is to help them both with her authority and counsel, then it will be most manifest how much it concerns the common weal that all nations should resolve to unite in the same belief and the same profession of the Christian faith. With these thoughts in Our mind and ardent yearnings in Our heart, We see from afar what wonld be the new order of things that would ariee upon the earth, and nothing could be sweeter to Us than the contemplation of the beneats that would flow from it. It can

hardly be lmagiLeci what immuuute am<i rapid progress would be made all over the earth, in all maaaer of greatness and prosperity, with the establishment of tranquilly anJ peace, the promotion of studies, the founding and the multiplying on Christian lines according to Our directions of associations for t ne cultivators of the soil for workmen and traciesm.n, through wuuse agency rapacious usury would be put down, and a large field opened up for useful labours And these abundant oenefits woald not be confined within th« limits of civilised nations, but, like an overcharge i river would flow far and wide. It must be remembered, as We observed a tithe outset, that an immense number of races have been waiting all through the long ages, to receive the light of truth and civilisation. Moat cwtainly, the counsels of God wiih regard to the eternal salvation of peoples are far removed above the understanding of man ; yet if miserable superstition still prevaila in so many parts of the world the blame must be attributed in no small measure to religious dissensions. For, as far as it is given to human reason to judge from the nature of events, thi» seems without doubt to be the mission 'assigned by God to Europe, to go on by degrees carrying Christian civilisation to every portion of the ear.h. The beginnings and first growth of this great work, which sprang from the labours of formfi centuries were rapidly receiving large development, when all of a sudden the discord of the 16th can-ury broke out. Christendom was torn with quarrels and dissensions, Europe exhausted with contests and wars and the Bacred missions felt the baneful inflaence of the times' While the causes of dissension still remain, what wonder is it that so Urge a portion of mankind is held enthralled with baibarous cuetoms and insane rites ? Let us o ca and all then, for the sake of the common welfare, labour with rqual afsiduity to restore the ancient concord. la order to bring about this concord, and spread abroad the benefits of the Christian revelation, the prasent is thy moet reaeonable time, for never before have the senMmen's of human brotherhood penetrated so deeply into the souls of men, and Lever in any age has man been seen to £eek out his fallow mea so eagerly in order to know thecn batter anl to h^lp them. Imm-nse trac b of land and sea are traversed with incredible rapidity, ani thus rxtraordinary advantages are affjrded, not only for commerce and scientific investigations, bat a!sj for the propagation of the wor.i of God from the rising of the sun to ihe going down of tha same. We are well aware of the long labours involved ia the restoration of that order of things when We des,re ; and it may be that there are those who consider that We are far too sancuiaa and look for things that are rather to be wished for than expejkd. Bat We unhesitatingly place all Our hope and confidence m the Saviour of mankind Jesus Christ, well remembering what great things have been achieved, in times past, by the folly of the Cros* and its pr'acnin* to the astonishment and confusion of tha " wisdom of this world " We beg of princes and rulers of States, appealing to their statesmanship and earnest solicitude of the people, to we-gh our counsels m the balance of truth and second them with their autnori-y and favour If only a portion of the looked for results should cjme about, it will prove no inconsiderable boon in the general decadence, when the intolerable evils of the present day bring with them the dread ol further evils in days to coma. The last years of the past century left Europe worn out with disasters, and panic-stricken with the turmoils of revolution. And why should not cur present century, which is now hastening to its close, by a reversion of circumstances bequeath to mankind the pledges of concord, with the prospect of the great benefis whic i are bound up in the unity of the Chnsiaa Faith? May God, Who >■ is rich in mercy and in Whose power are the times and moments," grant our wishes and desirts, and in His great goodness hasten the fnlfilment of that divine promise of Jesus Chris. " there will be one fold and one shepherd."* Given at Rome, at 8. Peter's, on the 20.h day of Ju-ie, 1894, in the seventeenth year of Our Pontificate, POPE LEO XIII. Borne, Propaganda Prees.