Devil-Worship in France; or, The Question of LuciferWaite, Arthur Edward
Religion
Devil-Worship in France; or, The Question of Lucifer
Waite, Arthur Edward
Satanism
Of actual diabolism prior to the date I have named, there is, I believe,
only the solitary accusation made by Mgr. de Segur, and having
reference to a long anterior period. He states that in the year 1848
there was a Masonic lodge at Rome, where the mass of the devil was
celebrated in the presence of men and women. A ciborium was placed on an
altar between six black candles; each person, after spitting and
trampling on a crucifix, deposited in this ciborium a consecrated host
which had been purchased or received in church. The sacred elements were
stabbed by the whole assembly, the candles were extinguished at the
termination of the mass, and an orgie followed, similar, says Mgr. de
Segur, to those of "Pagan mysteries and Manichaean re-unions." Such
abominations were, however, admittedly rare, and the story just recited
rests on nothing that can be called evidence.
During the years intervening between 1870 and 1891 we may search the
literature of French Anti-Masonry in vain for any hint of the Palladium.
In 1884 the collaboration of Louis D'Estampes and Claudio Jannet
produced a work entitled "Freemasonry and the Revolution," which
affirms that the immense majority of Masons, including those who have
received the highest grades, do not enjoy the confidence of the true
secrets, but the establishment of atheism in religion and socialism in
politics as designs of the Fraternity are the only secrets intended.
The New and Reformed Palladium connects with the Order of the Temple by
its supposed possession of the original Baphomet idol, but in 1882 this
was entirely unknown to Mgr. Fava, who denies all the reputed connection
between Templars and Masons, and traces the latter to Faustus Socinus as
founder, following Abbe Lefranc in his "Veil raised for the Curious." A
mystic and diabolic aspect of the Fraternity is so remote from his mind
that in his "Secret of Freemasonry" the Bishop of Grenoble affirms that
its sole project is to replace Christianity by rationalism.
The third and concluding volume of Pere Deschamps' great compilation on
"Society and the Secret Societies," supports, on the contrary, the
hypothesis rejected by Fava. It recites much old knowledge concerning
adoptive lodges, the Illumines, the Orders of Philalethes, of Martinez
Pasquales, and of Saint-Martin, on which subjects few writers indeed can
say anything that is new; but while specially devoted to the political
activity of the Fraternity all over Europe, Deschamps tells us nothing
of the conspiracy which produced the New Palladium, though the alleged
collaboration of Mazzini gave it a strong political complexion; of Pike
nothing; of Diabolism still nothing. I may add that his work claims to
be verified at all points.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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