By Fermi
The law against secret societies unanimously approved by the Chamber of Deputies on May 20th has an importance that transcends politics. That is why I must write this brief article for you.
I have before me the large and vivid report of the Commission for the Study of Law Reform, which is entitled: The State and Secret Societies. Those who have studied the subject find it quite objective, in spite of its polemical tone and its undisguised intent. I am basing my article on that source.
Freemasonry was born in England in 1717 and rapidly spread to Central Europe. Soon it penetrated among us, and it was always willing to welcome foreign currents. It was invaluable in the hands of both French and Austrian rulers throughout that century, and its importance was also felt in England, which was seeking large naval bases in the Mediterranean. Napoleon despised it, but used it mercilessly. After 1815 the restless Masons placed themselves in the service of the new ruling masters, including Austria.
Freemasonry certainly had nothing to do with the Risorgimento. The Masons generally did not play any role in the political processes that took place between 1821 and 1858. Freemasonry was cosmopolitan and humanitarian; it was pacifist... devoted to a bland tactic of infiltration and penetration; it was anti-religious and specifically anti-Catholic (indeed it had its origins in Anglican Deism, French Encyclopedism and Lutheran Illuminism). The Risorgimento, on the other hand, was a national event, with abstract humanitarian tendencies; it was combative and warlike, celebrating sacrifice and its regenerative virtue for the weakened Italians; it was a religious movement and almost always Catholic; indeed, it regarded Catholicism as a means of spiritual unity which preserved the moral personality of the Italian people. It was also explicitly opposed to Masonic sects and fought against their methods, rejecting their usefulness on the one hand, and the other hand condemning the profound failure that they generated. Ugo Foscolo had already clearly said that in order to unite Italy, these sects had to be destroyed:
"These Secret Societies form many States with the State; they are a source of corruption and substantial despotism, hiding behind the mask of liberty."Shortly before 1860, Freemasonry strenuously reorganized itself and arose against the Pope, but not against the Pope-King. The Vatican's political resistance to the Risorgimento gave rise to an anti-clericalism that was celebrated by the Lodges, who benefited from its emergence. They were not immune from "inspiration by foreign powers" (U. Bacci). At that time there were discords and quarrels between brothers over questions of rites, pre-eminences, and due to personal and regional rivalries. There were invectives, bands and excommunications... But then, around 1880, a certain peace was achieved and the most flattering invitations were addressed to the intellectual bourgeoisie: professors, magistrates, lawyers, even businessmen:
"We must keep in mind that that phase of Italian life—with its crowd of new people from the countryside intent on finding its way, with its philosophical positivism and its rather simplistic mentality, with its new gods (Justice, Liberty, Equality, Reason), depleted of content and subjected to idols or fetishes—was excellent hunting ground for Freemasonry."It found numerous proselytes among the disappointed, the restless, the dreamers, the radicals, the republicans:
"This widespread anti-clerical spirit, in the most negative sense of the word, which reflected the absence of philosophy and the absence or decline of other more substantial and positive ideals, also benefited Freemasonry, which stimulated it and exasperated its old anti-clericalism, and made it its raison d'etre."A reconciliation between the State and the Holy See was feared by them and regarded by them as a supreme evil. This same opposition was also shared by certain foreign powers, who rightly believed that a reconciliation with the Vatican would cause Italy to be strengthened.
The Army and the Navy, which for a hundred reasons must fiercely preserve their independence, as a condition of absolute loyalty to the Nation, unfortunately allowed themselves to be ensnared, so that at the end of the century the Masonic sect had risen to boundless and uncontrollable power. By now it dominated "all the organs and nerve centers of Italian society". It was able to impose its will on weak, crafty or irresponsible rulers. The big banks, the gods of contemporary Mammonism, became one of the greatest instruments of Freemasonry's mighty power. Around 1900 a reaction broke out against it by the Socialists, who:
"...had fought against Freemasonry's humanitarianism, windbag democracy, drowsiness, bourgeois attitude and Francophilia. But then, as the majority of Socialists opened up to Masonic influences and allowed themselves to be taken over, there was a reaction [against Masonry] by small groups of socialist realizers, revolutionary socialists and syndicalists, educators, idealist philosophers, young liberals, Christian democrats, innovative and futuristic patrols, and nationalists... A movement emerged against Freemasonry from a philosophical, cultural, political and moral point of view. It was seen as a remnant of 18th century illusionism, a source of bad mental habits, of confusion in political ideas and parties, of degeneracy in public life; it was seen as the embodiment of intrigue, illicit cronyism and likened to the Mafia. On the eve of the war, the campaign against Freemasonry was vehement. At that time a referendum was held: over one hundred writers, publicists and politicians responded, including Croce, Amendola, Einaudi, Mosca, Sergi, Bonomi, Giacosa, Bonfante, Solmi, D'Ovidio."In general, there was open condemnation of every secret society. There was a particular dislike for Freemasonry in the army, in the magistrate, in the schools. It was agreed that this was an old thorn stuck in the side of many delicate organs of society; it was agreed that Freemasonry actively worked against our great need for absolute discipline, undermined our sense of responsibility, and perturbed the public spirit.
The European war put a halt to this campaign:
"Freemasonry supported intervention, indeed it led it. No one asked the Masons the real reason why—and for whom—they supported intervention in the war, even if everyone noticed their vehement expressions of support for freedom and justice, and even if everyone knew they did not have our own country's interests in mind... But during and after the war there was no lack of eloquent essays on the intrinsic nature of Masonic interventionism... It is bad that Freemasonry is an organization of crony nepotism, but even worse is the fact that it is oriented towards a certain determined political agenda and seeks to achieve its ends through occult methods."According to the report, the State has the right and duty to fight Freemasonry for the following reasons:
1) In Freemasonry there is a foreign and intrinsically anti-national mentality, one which is individualistic, democratic and anti-historical in the mechanical and atomistic sense of the word, which hinders the formation of a steady and coherent national consciousness which is still the privilege or desire of a minority.
2) Since Freemasonry is and claims to be universal and therefore international, the danger inherent in the mental subjection of Italian Freemasonry to theories fashioned by foreigners is aggravated, so that it easily opens the gates for interference by foreign governments and foreign parties in our national politics.
3) Freemasonry, by obliging its adherents to silence, even at the cost of lying, helps to distort and corrupt the character of Italians. The political struggle in Italy can not take place with full sincerity and genuineness of attitudes and relationships, because it is possible for the Masonic sect to creep into every party, disguising itself, in order to promote a program of interests for unknown or unspeakable reasons, to deviate from its spirit, to control or take over its deliberations, to betray them, and finally to betray everyone; in short, each party suffers from fear and suspicion—often times with good reason—that there are secret enemies within their ranks.
4) Freemasonry perpetuates and exacerbates outdated anti-clericalism, which is harmful because it hinders the peaceful resolution of the disagreement between Italy and the Papacy, and nourishes or justifies the resistance of intransigent Catholics and the apprehensions of Catholic patriots.
5) The truest essence of Freemasonry, which had attracted legions of adherents, was to constitute a Mafia-like organization to defend purely private interests. Its activities have polluted all the central and local branches of State and municipal administration. It inserts itself into the most delicate organs of national life and leverages the banks, which are largely subservient to Masonic interests; its principal weapon is secrecy, which degrades consciences, distorts them to a practically unbreakable silence, obliges them to an internal solidarity that annuls and surpasses all other duties of loyalty and justice, and which protects those who benefit from impunity.
For these reasons, the Commission believes that in order to rehabilitate the organs of national life, it is necessary first of all to undertake a fight against Freemasonry. This in itself gives the State the right to destroy it. Since its power lies in secrecy, the State has the right and the duty to prohibit it from being secretive. Being enrolled in Freemasonry therefore may not be held as a crime in and of itself, however the act of trying to hide it can be.
It is not for me to tackle—let alone solve—the question of whether the State can take up the Commission's proposals and legislate accordingly. I am neither a politician nor a professor of law. I only say that if Freemasonry is really a danger and a threat to the autonomy of State organs, to the sovereignty of law, and to the good rights of citizens, and if, on the other hand, the iron rule of the Romans still applies: Salus reipublicae suprema lex esto ("The safeguard of the republic shall be the supreme law"), then any man with common sense will not hesitate for one moment to abandon Freemasonry.
The moral and religious conscience also allows us to take into consideration and judge other aspects of the issue. Masonic secrecy not only permits but imposes lying, i.e., the opposite of the general and constant ethical and religious norms, without which the mutual trust between peoples is destroyed and the respect of each person for himself and for others is destroyed.
Moreover, the Masonic bond imposes blind obedience to occult Powers, which by no means justify the authority that they presume to entrust to their command. What do these invisible and uncontrollable masters want and what are their aims? It is an absolute mystery. But at least what are the ideals and interests on whose behalf they are mediating and demanding obedience? Are they those of the Family, of the Fatherland, of Humanity, of Conscience, of God? Men who rise above animal instincts and selfishness seek to work in the name of one or more of those principles; sublime men, in the greatest hours, work in the name of all of them, harmonized in one.
It seems clear to me that Freemasonry has nothing to do with the family, nor the Fatherland (see above), since much their supreme directives come from foreign leaders.
What does God have to do with it? For at least a century, Latin Masonry has been openly atheist. You can not serve humanity by denying God.
Conscience? No; blind submission to masters who do not know each other and who do not know what they want, nor what principles or interests they are representing, is profoundly immoral. They do not deserve to be called men, but sheep.
Liberty?... This beautiful liberty which takes away all rights.
Justice? They form a crony nepotistic society to buy up the best posts for themselves, keeping them away from more worthy candidates...
[...]
In short, they regard themselves as the chosen, the light of the world, the salt of the earth; they think they are the the necessary aristocracy.
In all ages intelligent and aggressive minorities have led the multitudes, either to salvation or to perdition. Gaetano Mosca has shown with great keenness that even under a democratic regime the minorities reign, indeed they are more imperative than ever, precisely because they conceal their own desires under the banner of majority rights. Thus it happens that sincere (perhaps brutal) regimes are dominated by Aristocracies, while lying regimes are dominated by demagogic oligarchies. Which of these does Freemasonry represent? ... I say: a worthy Aristocracy is chosen—not self-appointed—from men superior in intellect, experience, capacity, self-denial, selflessness. Men who seek nothing for themselves, but offer what they have; men whose thoughts, activities and passions are for those whom they has in their custody; men who, as Plato says, give their own blood if necessary.
It is far easier to obtain a verdict from religious conscience, especially in regards to French Rite Freemasonry. Everyone knows that the "Great Architect of the Universe" is neither God nor the devil. Someone made reference to the 33rd degree diploma that the Grand Orient of Paris conferred upon the heroic but very naive Garibaldi. That lodge despises and hates everything that is most dear to the religious conscience of Christians. And it is really pointless to deny it.
Scottish Rite Freemasonry famously controls and promotes Anglo-Saxon political-religious interests. Therefore Italian Catholics must be on guard. The Masonic spirit is more widespread and rooted than one might imagine, especially in certain centers which the native temperament and fierce propaganda of sister nations have exposed to greater infection. A humorist has defined one of the big cities in northern Italy as a ville toupinière ("molehill city").
[...]
We must fight our opponents as if they were impostors and rebels. No sacrifice is excessive when the prestige of one's own flag is at stake. ... Lies, perfidy, slander, or at least insinuations that operate as subtle-poison, are the usual weapons of these sectarians, whatever label they go by.
[...]
Masonic fury permeates the high schools sacred to science, piety and love. There are those who fight against Freemasonry by employing means and methods and obeying sentiments that are the very quintessence of Freemasonry. Would it be worthwhile to have destroyed Freemasonry, only for other sects bearing another name, but marked by the same spirit of oppression and insincerity, to take its place?
[...]
Our warning to the youth will not be in vain, because they—still pure, still free—will not give up their freedom and their dignity.
