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Article FREEMASONRY AND THE SPANISH INQUISITION. ← Page 2 of 4 →
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Freemasonry And The Spanish Inquisition.
architecture and astronomy . They thought that these representations related to sorcery , and they were confirmed in the idea , on hearing the imprecations , which according to M . Tournon , were to accompany the oath of secrecy . It appeared from the depositions of three -witnesses , that M . Tournon was a Freemason ; he was arrested , and imprisoned on the 20 th of May . The following conversation which took place in the first audience of monition , may be interesting to some readers . After asking his name , birth-place , and his reasons for coming to Spain , and making him swear to speak the truth , the Inquisitor proceeded : —
Do you know , or suppose why you have been arrested by the holy office?—I suppose it is for having said I was a Freemason . AVh y do you suppose so?—Because I have informed my pupils that I was of that Order , and I fear that they have denounced me , for I have perceived lately that they speak to me with an air of mystery , and their questions lead me to believe that they think mean heretic . Did you tell them the truth?—Yes .
You are then a Freemason ?—Yes . How long have you been so?—For twenty years . Have you attended the assemblies of Freemasons ?—Yes , at Paris . Have you attended them in Spain ?—No . I do not know if there are any lodges in Spain . If there were , should you attend them ?—Yes . Are you a Cbristiau ; a Roman Catholic?—Yes . I was baptised in
the parish of St . Paul at Paris . How , as a Christian , can you dare to attend masonic assemblies , when you know , or ought to know , that they are contrary to religion ?—I did not know that , I am ignorant of it at present ; but I never ' saw or heard anything there which was contrary to religion . How can you say that , when you know that Freemasons profess indifference in matters of religion , which is contrary to the article of faith ,
which teaches us that no man can be saved who does not profess the Catholic , Apostolic , and Roman religion ?—The Freemasons do not profess that indifference ; but it is indifferent if the person received into the Order be a Catholic or not . Then the Freemasons are an anti-religious body ?—That cannot be , for the object of the institution is not to combat or deny the necessity or utility of any religion ; but for the exercise of charity towards the unfortunate of any sectparticularlif he be a member of the society .
, y One proof that indifference is the reh ' gious character of Freemasons is , that they do not acknowledge the Holy Trinity , since they only confess one God , whom they call the Great Architect of the Universe , which agrees with the doctrine of the heretical philosophers , who say that there is no true religion but natural reli gion , in which the existence of God the Creator only is allowed , and the rest considered as a human invention . And as M . Tournon has professed himself to be of the Catholic
religion , he is required by the respect he owes to our Saviour Jesus Christ , true God and Man , and for his blessed mother the Virgin Mary our Lady , to declare the truth according to his oath , because in that case he will acquit his conscience , and it will be allowable to treat him with that mercy and compassion whicli the holy office always shows towards sinners who confess ; and if , on the contrary , he conceals anything , he will he punished with all the severity of justice , according to the holy
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Freemasonry And The Spanish Inquisition.
architecture and astronomy . They thought that these representations related to sorcery , and they were confirmed in the idea , on hearing the imprecations , which according to M . Tournon , were to accompany the oath of secrecy . It appeared from the depositions of three -witnesses , that M . Tournon was a Freemason ; he was arrested , and imprisoned on the 20 th of May . The following conversation which took place in the first audience of monition , may be interesting to some readers . After asking his name , birth-place , and his reasons for coming to Spain , and making him swear to speak the truth , the Inquisitor proceeded : —
Do you know , or suppose why you have been arrested by the holy office?—I suppose it is for having said I was a Freemason . AVh y do you suppose so?—Because I have informed my pupils that I was of that Order , and I fear that they have denounced me , for I have perceived lately that they speak to me with an air of mystery , and their questions lead me to believe that they think mean heretic . Did you tell them the truth?—Yes .
You are then a Freemason ?—Yes . How long have you been so?—For twenty years . Have you attended the assemblies of Freemasons ?—Yes , at Paris . Have you attended them in Spain ?—No . I do not know if there are any lodges in Spain . If there were , should you attend them ?—Yes . Are you a Cbristiau ; a Roman Catholic?—Yes . I was baptised in
the parish of St . Paul at Paris . How , as a Christian , can you dare to attend masonic assemblies , when you know , or ought to know , that they are contrary to religion ?—I did not know that , I am ignorant of it at present ; but I never ' saw or heard anything there which was contrary to religion . How can you say that , when you know that Freemasons profess indifference in matters of religion , which is contrary to the article of faith ,
which teaches us that no man can be saved who does not profess the Catholic , Apostolic , and Roman religion ?—The Freemasons do not profess that indifference ; but it is indifferent if the person received into the Order be a Catholic or not . Then the Freemasons are an anti-religious body ?—That cannot be , for the object of the institution is not to combat or deny the necessity or utility of any religion ; but for the exercise of charity towards the unfortunate of any sectparticularlif he be a member of the society .
, y One proof that indifference is the reh ' gious character of Freemasons is , that they do not acknowledge the Holy Trinity , since they only confess one God , whom they call the Great Architect of the Universe , which agrees with the doctrine of the heretical philosophers , who say that there is no true religion but natural reli gion , in which the existence of God the Creator only is allowed , and the rest considered as a human invention . And as M . Tournon has professed himself to be of the Catholic
religion , he is required by the respect he owes to our Saviour Jesus Christ , true God and Man , and for his blessed mother the Virgin Mary our Lady , to declare the truth according to his oath , because in that case he will acquit his conscience , and it will be allowable to treat him with that mercy and compassion whicli the holy office always shows towards sinners who confess ; and if , on the contrary , he conceals anything , he will he punished with all the severity of justice , according to the holy