Humanum genus

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Humanum genus (meaning: the human race) are the first words and thus the title of the encyclical published on April 20, 1884 by Pope Leo XIII. with which he condemned Freemasonry .

Struggle between good and bad

In his encyclical "Humanum genus", with which he condemned Freemasonry, Pope Leo XIII declared that there was another kingdom besides the kingdom of God on earth, the true church of Christ, namely that of Satan . He depicts the Freemasons as the destroyers of the kingdom of God and imputes them with the open intention to steal their goods from the Christian peoples and to destroy the holy church.

Leo XIII. takes an antagonistic scheme as a basis and explains that there are a number of sects that differ from one another in terms of name, customs, form and origin, but because of the similarity of their goals and the similarity of their principles with one another and with the union of the Freemasons Connected.

The Kingdom of God on earth, the Church of Jesus Christ, fight for truth and virtue. The other group is against truth and virtue and is the kingdom of Satan. Those who followed evil had come together under the guidance and help of the society that calls itself Freemasons. This group openly tries to harm the church.

Anti-Semitic Effects

Although the Jews are not mentioned in the encyclical, a flood of anti-Semitic tracts appeared in France in the following years , in which Jews and Freemasons were described as the messengers of the incarnate, performing their “secret rites” in the “synagogue of Satan”. Archbishop Léon Meurin : "Everything in Freemasonry is fundamentally Jewish, exclusively Jewish, passionately Jewish, from beginning to end."

The conflict with freemasonry

The conflict between the Catholic Church and Freemasonry, however, had started earlier; already on April 28, 1738, Pope Clement XII. in the encyclical In Eminenti the main point of attack: Freemasonry can only do bad things, otherwise it would have nothing to hide. Since then, a number of encyclicals have attempted to put a stop to Freemasonry. Between 1738 and 1902, seventeen encyclicals were published opposing secret societies and Freemasonry.

During his pontificate, Pope Leo XIII. further encyclicals against and about Freemasonry:

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