Inimica Vis by Pope Leo XIII

Pope Leo XIII (b. 2 March 1810 – d. 20 July 1903), born Gioacchino Vincenzo Raffaele Luigi Pecci, began his pontificate on 20 February 1878. His papacy is the fourth longest in the history of the Church. He is known for having composed the Prayer to Archangel St Michael and for the encyclical “Humanum Genus” on freemasonry published on 20 April 1884.

The encyclicals regarding freemasonry “Inimica Vis” and “Custodi Di Quella Fede” were published on 8 December 1892. Encyclicals are formally addressed to the bishops, which is the case in the former.

Due to the gravity of the matter, a letter addressed to the Italian people was also attached in this instance. Both are relatively short, with “Inimica Vis” at approximately 1,400 words in 11 paragraphs. This document is more of a call to bishops to lead the people on the right path and to actively go against freemasonry whilst “Custodi Di Quella Fede” lays out some freemasonic tactics and actions.

Pope Leo XIII begins a reminder that freemasonry “strives to entangle itself in all the institutions of our country in its conspiracy to forcefully deprive the Italian people of their Catholic faith”.

This is the reason for the endless artifices they employ in their assault on the divinely inspired faith; this is the reason why the legitimate liberty of the Church is treated with contempt and beset with legal oppression. They believe that the Church does not possess the nature and essence of a true society, that the State has priority over it, and that civil authority takes precedence over sacred authority. This false and destructive doctrine has been frequently condemned by the Holy See. Among many other ills, it has been responsible for the usurpation on the part of civil authorities of that to which they have no right and for their unscrupulous appropriation of what they have alienated from the Church. This is clear in the case of ecclesiastical benefices; they usurp the right to give or withhold the revenues of these according to their good pleasure.

The pope is concerned that “far too many of our compatriots, driven by hope of their personal advantage or by perverse ambition, have given their names or support to the sect”.

To be sure, the task of extricating those who have fallen into the snares of the Masons is laborious, and its outcome is doubtful, if we consider the cleverness of the sect: still the recovery of no one should ever be despaired of since the force of apostolic charity is truly marvelous.

He gives the benefit of doubt to those who have erred “because of weakness of spirit and lack of discretion” or because of “ignorance” but he does point out that freemasonry no longer hides its revolutionary goals and actions.

Why, within the last few months, the designs of the Masons have been publicly proclaimed throughout Italy, even to the point of ostentation! They wish to see the religion founded by God reudiated and all affairs, private as well as public, regulated by the principles of naturalism alone; this is what, in their impiety and stupidity, they call the restoration of civil society. And yet the State will plunge headlong into ruin if Christians are not willing to be vigilant and not willing to labor to support its well-being!

Leo XIII concludes with a call to the hierarchy to take action and lead by example.

But in the presence of such audacious evils, it is not sufficient merely to be aware of the wiles of this vile sect: we must also war against it, using those very arms furnished by the divine faith which once prevailed against paganism. Therefore, it is your task to inflame souls by persuasion, exhortation and example, nourish in the clergy and our people a zeal for religion and salvation which is active, resolute, and intrepid. … But for those who seek salvation there can be no middle ground between laborious struggle and destruction. Therefore, in the case of the weak and sluggish, courage must be stirred up through your efforts; in the case of the strong, it must be kept active; with all trace of dissent wiped out, under your leadership and command, the result will be that all alike, with united minds and common discipline, may undertake the battle in a spirited manner.

Pope Leo XIII (1878)

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