The Grand Lodges and Modern Freemasonry 261The Pope and the Condemnation of FreemasonryThe pope was never alarmed by craft freemasonry. Quite the contrary;
the Church always had a presence within it, which made it easy to
address a situation if particular circumstance called for steps to be
taken. The Church took no greater concern regarding the admission of
"accepted" members into the lodges.
When religious and dynastic conflicts broke out in Great Britain,
Church leaders quite naturally took an interest in the situation, decid-
edly from the side of the Stuarts. They supported them through their
misfortunes with words of encouragement, always a good thing, and
with financial assistance, which is even better. James III visited the Pope
on several occasions, especially following the Treaty of Utrecht, and
when Louis XIV was compelled to expel the Pretender from France, it
was to Rome that he went in search of consolation and support.
How is it imaginable that in their intimacy with the Stuarts the
popes would remain ignorant of the activity of the Scot Lodges? Their
long silence leads us to believe that they thought well of them. As noted
by P. Berteloot, "if they were not assured that they pursued political
secrecy that was favorable to the interests of Catholicism, they would
not have failed to raise their voices against it." Their silence lasting half
a century takes on greater significance when compared to the numerous
condemnations that were lodged against Freemasonry once the new
impetus given the institution by the Anglicans gained the upper hand.
The first Bull of Excommunication against the Freemasons was not in
fact fulminated until May 4, 1738, the date on which it was issued by
Pope Clement XII.
1738 is a date to remember. It truly marks the formation of mod-
ern Freemasonry and the organization of the grand lodges. It was the
year the Book of Constitutions was revised to carry a Protestant mean-
ing and when Article I of this text was altered. In its new form it echoes
the charter allegedly issued by Edwin I in 926: "A mason is obliged by
his tenure to observe the moral law like a true Noachid... and to the
three great articles of Noah," to wit, the prohibition on worshipping
idols and false gods, and committing blasphemy and murder.
Before this publication, the pope was already aware that the
Scottish school had lost its chance to triumph over the Anglicans in the