NEW ITALIAN CATHEDRAL TO PADRE PIO DESIGNED AS FREEMASONIC TEMPLE

IS THE NEW CATHEDRAL TO PADRE PIO IN SAN GIOVANNI ROTONDO ACTUALLY A "MASONIC TEMPLE"?

I have just received and am in the process of studying a special issue, #381 (March 2006), of the Italian religious magazine “CHIESA VIVA”. It is my understanding that in March 2006 this special issue was sent by the publisher/editor of “Chiesa Viva”, Dr. Monsignor Luigi Villa, to Catholic & 'catholic' priests, Bishops, Cardinals, as well as a selected group of Italian lay persons including members of the judiciary. This entire special issue deals with only one subject, that being the inauguration in July 2004 (construction began in 1996) of the new Cathedral dedicated to Padre Pio of San Giovanni Rotondo. The authors allege that after years of study they are now able to prove that this new church is in fact, NOT a Catholic Church, but rather a “Masonic temple”!

The authors (the engineer Franco Adessa) further allege that they have analyzed the complete church structure including the entry doors to the church, the altar plus the cross that hovers over it, the chapel of Adoration with the Tabernacle made out of jet black stone with the 13 plaques of silver as well as the immense stone cross that towers 40 meters over the piazza.

The authors allege that Masonic symbols are apparent everywhere. The authors allege that their special issue of Chiesa Viva has put into focus an alleged Masonic plan to DO battle with God by attempting to destroy the Catholic Church with Masonic Ecumenism. According to the authors the most devastating aspect of this blasphemy is the direct insult to the Holy Trinity and Our Lord Jesus Christ that have been symbolically displaced from the Cross and the Tabernacle and replaced by the blasphemous “Masonic triple trinity” and of Lucifer in person.

The authors allege that this story is one of money, power and control that go to the very top. To date news services around the world seem to be totally unaware of what has allegedly transpired in San Giovanni Rotondo, not one word has been uttered by the Vatican or other officials and millions of devotees to Saint Padre Pio are unaware and would be outraged if they ever suspected that their donations (estimated to be over $250,000,000.00 US) had been used to allegedly defame their beloved Saint!

If these allegations are in fact verified the scandal could be enormous. Millions of Catholics devoted to Padre Pio would be shocked and angry. The scandal would involve huge sums of money, the defamation of a Sainted Priest loved world wide by millions, the undermining of Faith, the undermining of the Catholic Hierarchy. It seems that officially no one in the Vatican is talking about this alleged scandal, even though a special reunion took place in San Giovanni Rotondo, on May 1 through May 6, 2006 attended by 150 Vatican experts including the Secretary of State Sodano. Ostensibly these experts converged on San Giovanni Rotondo to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the hospital (Casa di Sollievo della Sofferenza) by Padre Pio. Their meetings were open to the public during the day, however, their closed door evening meetings were allegedly dedicated to high level discussions of the Chiesa Viva special issue #381.It was subsequently reported, confidentially, that the Vatican has adopted an official solution that essentially amounts to total silence on this matter! If this is true then the allegations of Chiesa Viva may be much more than allegations and silence on the part of the Vatican is tantamount to conceding victory to Chiesa Viva. How long can this story be kept under wraps before the devotees of Padre Pio find out that they and their saint have been betrayed!?

Dear nopardons,

"Yes, Freemasonry DOES teach something counter to Catholic teachings..."

If that is true, it is reason enough for Catholics not to join Masonry.

"...that all men are equal and that men of good character should be viewed as 'brothers'."

Actually, Catholicism teaches that all are created in the image and likeness of God, and in this way, all are equal. What we do not believe is that all men are created equal in terms of their natural and supernatural gifts, station in life, etc.

However, it's fair to say that Masonry tends to discount the Christian revelation as being authoritative and absolutely true. Its belief in the divinity is proved exclusively through natural revelation. Of course, this is understandable for an organization that tries to appeal to theists of every stripe. However, the overemphasis on natural revelation, to the exclusion of Divine revelation, is not something that the Catholic Church can accept. For Catholics, that's enough not to belong to Masonry.

I've discussed Masonic history with friends who are Masons, including one fellow who has researched Masonic history pretty thoroughly. I think one thing that most Catholics don't understand is that Masonry isn't like Catholicism, in that it isn't a monolithic movement with a unified central authority. My understanding is that there are different branches of Masonry, and that not all branches even agree who's in and who's out (even you allude to these facts).

Thus, one should be careful about holding all Masons responsible for the actions of some masons.

My Masonic friend has helped me explore a little some of the more sensationalist charges against Masonic ceremonials, especially those related to satanism. I've seen a significant amount of source documents concerning Masonic ceremonials as a result. My friend has actually given me a very old, out-of-date book showing the ceremonials for the degrees from one of the main rites (it's at work, so don't ask me any details right now - I just don't have the book handy). In perusing the volume, frankly, I found it difficult to uphold charges of satanism, or even explicitly anti-Christian teaching. As well, I didn't find the purported anti-Catholic oaths I've read on the Internet. I found some of the material sometimes quoted by anti-Masonic folks, but it was clear to me that it had been quoted out of context.

In fact, in some of the ceremonials, the imagery is actually explicitly Christian, and at times, even Catholic.

I'm a Catholic, and I'd never ever join the Masons, but these more fantastic charges haven't been sustained by my own research. Of course, absence of evidence isn't evidence of absence. As well, I haven't looked at all the ceremonials used at all times by all rites.

However, the more general charge of Masonic anti-Catholicism is more readily sustained. It's true that there are lodges in Europe that have been virulently anti-Catholic. My Masonic friend tells me that those groups weren't "real Masons," but the problem with not having a central authority is that to the outsider, all you have is competing claims of legitimacy from each group. To this outsider, they all look like Masons to me, so I'm inclined to think they're all Masons, as there isn't any Masonic "pope" to excommunicated them.

As well, in the United States, Masons corporately pushed for the anti-Catholic Blaine amendments that litter the constitutions of many states, preventing any state government funds from ever accruing to the benefit of Catholic schools. "Rum, Romanism, and rebellion!!"

In the Northwest, Masons pushed to actually ban Catholic schools, but were smacked down by the Supreme Court. Interestingly, the legal doctrines established from these cases now form the basis for constitutional law interpretation related to homeschooling.

And of course, another poster has cited the anti-Catholic deeds of Mexican Masons.

Now, it's true that probably most Masons are not (at least any longer) openly anti-Catholic. Anti-Catholic bigotry is less acceptable, and less pronounced today than, say, a hundred or a hundred fifty years ago. It's also true that many Masons a century and a half ago who were likely anti-Catholic were anti-Catholic because American culture was largely anti-Catholic, not because they were Masons.

And some will defend by saying that what some Masons did shouldn't be ascribed to all Masons. That's fair enough, but the fact is that a lot of Masons, and a lot of Masonic organizations, at a lot of times, have been anti-Catholic. I believe that the anti-Catholicism has largely abated.

However, as a devout Catholic, I don't really have any interest in a movement with the degree of anti-Catholic history that the Masons have generally.

sitetest

Intolerant. That's just what Freemasonry is.

Masons only tolerate people who think they way they do, i.e. Truth is Relative.

"Catholics were forbidden to go inside another religions' church or temple; even to attend a funeral or a wedding, where they were not asked to participate in any religious activities. They couldn't even go into a church hall to attend an MYF ( Methodist Youth Fellowship ) dance, where absolutely NOTHING religious was going on."

Big deal. Who are you to judge? Who made you God? The Catholics weren't bothering you. They weren't, back then, marching to your home with torches, seeking to burn your home down because you weren't Catholic.

St. Paul teaches that adherence to heresy = spiritual death.
The Catholic Church was being charitable to the souls of its
adherents. Outside the Church there is no salvation, and any Catholic who leaves the Catholic Church knowing it is the unique Church of Christ cannot be saved.

Period. Your anti-Catholic bigotry is showing. We believe what we believe, and you can keep your relativism.

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