War of Anti-Christ with the Church and Christian Civilization
Encyclopedia
The War of Anti-Christ with the Church and Christian Civilization is a book written in 1885 by an Irishman, Msgr George F. Dillon
, DD
. It was republished by Fr Denis Fahey
in 1950 as Grand Orient Freemasonry Unmasked as the Secret Power Behind Communism. The central theme of the book alleges that atheistic Illuminism, through the infrastructure of Grand Orient
freemasonry
, driven by the ideology of the philosophes laid the foundations for a large scale, ongoing war against Christendom
in general and the Catholic Church in particular. The document claims that this had been manifested primarily through manipulating the outbreak of various radical liberal
republican
revolutions. Particularly those focused on atheism or religious indifferentism in their anti-Catholicism
. The book details revolutionary activity in France
, Italy
, Germany
and Ireland
.
Included within the scope of the book is material on the Illuminati
, Kabbalism, Jacobinism, the French Revolution
, the Carbonari
and Fenianism. The Alta Vendita
document was given wider exposure in the Anglosphere
after being first translated for the book and placed within a historical context. The book was influential to Catholic
integralism
in Ireland, Britain and the United States, as well as national conservative politics. Fahey who republished the book in the 1950s founded the Maria Duce
political movement—critical of Fenianism associating it with Communism
, it instead proposed an Irish National Catholicism
under the social and spiritual reign of Christ the King
. The company who republished it, the Britons Publishing Society
, described the book as "of world-wide importance".
society and politics across Europe began to change in a very radical way to the end of the 18th century. In an attempt to explain and understand this, several prominent authors and theorists released books on the topic. For instance Edmund Burke
's Reflections on the Revolution in France
and Joseph de Maistre
's Considerations on France. Some asserted vividly that the French Revolution was the result of a deliberate conspiracy or plot to overthrow the monarchy, the Church and aristocratic society in Europe. Allegedly hatched by a coalition of philosophes, Freemasons and the Order of the Illuminati
. The conspirators created a system that was inherited by the Jacobins who operated it to its greatest potential.
The two best known authors of the latter "New World Order" theory are French Jesuit priest Augustin Barruel
, who authored the Memoirs Illustrating the History of Jacobinism
in 1799. As well as John Robison
a respected British academic and inventor who was a professor of philosophy at the University of Edinburgh
and Secretary to the Royal Society
of Edinburgh. Robison's book released in 1797 was called Proofs of a Conspiracy against All the Religions and Governments of Europe, carried on in the Secret Meetings of the Free Masons, Illuminati, and Reading Societies.
. There had also been numerous secular radical
nationalist rebellions during the Revolutions of 1848
—some of which were successful such as the unification of Germany
, while others failed. Some European countries also experienced a rise in clandestine radical groups, like the Carbonari
in the various Italian states
and Fenianism in Dillon's native Ireland, which was then part of the United Kingdom
with Great Britain
.
Generally most of Dillon's other book releases dealt with religious topics, he wrote a book about the Virgin Mother of Good Counsel
, the Sacred Heart of Jesus as well as a short piece on Irish history, specifically centered around Irish monasticism. Dillon was a Doctor of Divinity
, an advanced academic degree
in divinity, giving him license to teach Christian theology. He is known to have worked as a Catholic missionary in the Australia
n bush where he founded a mission for the aboriginals at Burragorang, a place about 65 miles away from Sydney
.
In recent memory the Papal States
had been invaded and annexed
by the newly formed Kingdom of Italy
—this left the Pope a Prisoner in the Vatican
. The Church had become aware of the secret societies such as the Carbonari and warned the public against them in encylicals due to their strongly anti-clerical and anti-social nature. A document was unveiled named the Alta Vendita
, purportedly produced by the highest lodge of the Carbonari. It detailed a plan for long term subversion of the Catholic Church by political liberalism, with the goal of promoting religious indifferentism, gradually eating away at Catholic dogma from within, to leave the Church a mere shell. Both Pope Pius IX
and Pope Leo XIII
requested that the document be published to the general public. Indeed Leo XIII called for the faithful to "tear away the mask from Freemasonry" in his encylical Humanum Genus
published in 1884. It was that same year that Dillon put together what would become the contents of this book for a lecture in Edinburgh
named the Spoliation of Propaganda.
George F. Dillon
George F. Dillon was a 19th century Catholic missionary and writer from Ireland. He became well known in 1884 for having given conferences in Edinburgh about what he claimed to be a Masonic war against Christian civilization...
, DD
Doctor of Divinity
Doctor of Divinity is an advanced academic degree in divinity. Historically, it identified one who had been licensed by a university to teach Christian theology or related religious subjects....
. It was republished by Fr Denis Fahey
Denis Fahey
Father Denis Fahey, C.S.Sp. was an Irish Catholic priest. Fahey promoted the Catholic social doctrine of Christ the King, and was involved in Irish politics through his organisation Maria Duce. Fahey firmly believed that "the world must conform to Our Divine Lord, not He to it", defending the...
in 1950 as Grand Orient Freemasonry Unmasked as the Secret Power Behind Communism. The central theme of the book alleges that atheistic Illuminism, through the infrastructure of Grand Orient
Continental Freemasonry
Continental Freemasonry refers to those Masonic lodges, mainly on the continent of Europe, that recognise the Grand Orient de France or belong to CLIPSAS or SIMPA.-The two branches of Freemasonry:Today, Freemasonry...
freemasonry
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
, driven by the ideology of the philosophes laid the foundations for a large scale, ongoing war against Christendom
Christendom
Christendom, or the Christian world, has several meanings. In a cultural sense it refers to the worldwide community of Christians, adherents of Christianity...
in general and the Catholic Church in particular. The document claims that this had been manifested primarily through manipulating the outbreak of various radical liberal
Radicalism (historical)
The term Radical was used during the late 18th century for proponents of the Radical Movement. It later became a general pejorative term for those favoring or seeking political reforms which include dramatic changes to the social order...
republican
Republicanism
Republicanism is the ideology of governing a nation as a republic, where the head of state is appointed by means other than heredity, often elections. The exact meaning of republicanism varies depending on the cultural and historical context...
revolutions. Particularly those focused on atheism or religious indifferentism in their anti-Catholicism
Anti-Catholicism
Anti-Catholicism is a generic term for discrimination, hostility or prejudice directed against Catholicism, and especially against the Catholic Church, its clergy or its adherents...
. The book details revolutionary activity in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Ireland
Kingdom of Ireland
The Kingdom of Ireland refers to the country of Ireland in the period between the proclamation of Henry VIII as King of Ireland by the Crown of Ireland Act 1542 and the Act of Union in 1800. It replaced the Lordship of Ireland, which had been created in 1171...
.
Included within the scope of the book is material on the Illuminati
Illuminati
The Illuminati is a name given to several groups, both real and fictitious. Historically the name refers to the Bavarian Illuminati, an Enlightenment-era secret society founded on May 1, 1776...
, Kabbalism, Jacobinism, the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
, the Carbonari
Carbonari
The Carbonari were groups of secret revolutionary societies founded in early 19th-century Italy. The Italian Carbonari may have further influenced other revolutionary groups in Spain, France, Portugal and possibly Russia. Although their goals often had a patriotic and liberal focus, they lacked a...
and Fenianism. The Alta Vendita
Alta Vendita
The Permanent Instruction of the Alta Vendita is a document, originally published in Italian in the 19th century, purportedly produced by the highest lodge of the Italian Carbonari....
document was given wider exposure in the Anglosphere
Anglosphere
Anglosphere is a neologism which refers to those nations with English as the most common language. The term can be used more specifically to refer to those nations which share certain characteristics within their cultures based on a linguistic heritage, through being former British colonies...
after being first translated for the book and placed within a historical context. The book was influential to Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
integralism
Integralism
Integralism, or Integral nationalism, is an ideology according to which a nation is an organic unity. Integralism defends social differentiation and hierarchy with co-operation between social classes, transcending conflict between social and economic groups...
in Ireland, Britain and the United States, as well as national conservative politics. Fahey who republished the book in the 1950s founded the Maria Duce
Maria Duce
Maria Duce was a small ultra-conservative Catholic group in Ireland, founded in 1945 by Fr Denis Fahey, a priest associated with antisemitic opinions....
political movement—critical of Fenianism associating it with Communism
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
, it instead proposed an Irish National Catholicism
National Catholicism
National Catholicism was part of the ideological identity of Francoism, the dictatorial regime with which Francisco Franco governed Spain between 1936 and 1975...
under the social and spiritual reign of Christ the King
Christ the King
Christ the King is a title of Jesus based on several passages of Scripture. It is used by most Christians. The Roman Catholic Church, together with many Protestant denominations, including the Anglican Churches, Presbyterians, Lutherans and Methodists, celebrate the Feast of Christ the King on the...
. The company who republished it, the Britons Publishing Society
Britons Publishing Society
Britons Publishing Society, founded in 1923, was an offshoot of The Britons. According to scholar Gisela C. Lebzelter, The Britons split because:...
, described the book as "of world-wide importance".
Hypothesis on the French Revolution
Following the French RevolutionFrench Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
society and politics across Europe began to change in a very radical way to the end of the 18th century. In an attempt to explain and understand this, several prominent authors and theorists released books on the topic. For instance Edmund Burke
Edmund Burke
Edmund Burke PC was an Irish statesman, author, orator, political theorist and philosopher who, after moving to England, served for many years in the House of Commons of Great Britain as a member of the Whig party....
's Reflections on the Revolution in France
Reflections on the Revolution in France
Reflections on the Revolution in France , by Edmund Burke, is one of the best-known intellectual attacks against the French Revolution...
and Joseph de Maistre
Joseph de Maistre
Joseph-Marie, comte de Maistre was a French-speaking Savoyard philosopher, writer, lawyer, and diplomat. He defended hierarchical societies and a monarchical State in the period immediately following the French Revolution...
's Considerations on France. Some asserted vividly that the French Revolution was the result of a deliberate conspiracy or plot to overthrow the monarchy, the Church and aristocratic society in Europe. Allegedly hatched by a coalition of philosophes, Freemasons and the Order of the Illuminati
Illuminati
The Illuminati is a name given to several groups, both real and fictitious. Historically the name refers to the Bavarian Illuminati, an Enlightenment-era secret society founded on May 1, 1776...
. The conspirators created a system that was inherited by the Jacobins who operated it to its greatest potential.
The two best known authors of the latter "New World Order" theory are French Jesuit priest Augustin Barruel
Augustin Barruel
Abbé Augustin Barruel was a French Jesuit priest. He is now mostly known for setting forth the conspiracy theory involving the Bavarian Illuminati and the Jacobins in his book Memoirs Illustrating the History of Jacobinism published in 1797...
, who authored the Memoirs Illustrating the History of Jacobinism
Memoirs Illustrating the History of Jacobinism
Memoirs Illustrating the History of Jacobinism is a book by the French Jesuit, the Abbé Augustin Barruel....
in 1799. As well as John Robison
John Robison (physicist)
John Robison FRSE was a Scottish physicist and mathematician. He was a professor of philosophy at the University of Edinburgh....
a respected British academic and inventor who was a professor of philosophy at the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
and Secretary to the Royal Society
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
of Edinburgh. Robison's book released in 1797 was called Proofs of a Conspiracy against All the Religions and Governments of Europe, carried on in the Secret Meetings of the Free Masons, Illuminati, and Reading Societies.
Bonaparte and the Revolutions of 1848
Essentially the book published by George F. Dillon is a continuation of the latter tradition, reiterating the points but filling in the gaps of events since. Between the late 18th century and the release of the book in 1885 there had been several more political developments, including the rise and fall of Napoleon Bonaparte out of the French Revolution, creating the First French EmpireFirst French Empire
The First French Empire , also known as the Greater French Empire or Napoleonic Empire, was the empire of Napoleon I of France...
. There had also been numerous secular radical
Radicalism (historical)
The term Radical was used during the late 18th century for proponents of the Radical Movement. It later became a general pejorative term for those favoring or seeking political reforms which include dramatic changes to the social order...
nationalist rebellions during the Revolutions of 1848
Revolutions of 1848
The European Revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the Spring of Nations, Springtime of the Peoples or the Year of Revolution, were a series of political upheavals throughout Europe in 1848. It was the first Europe-wide collapse of traditional authority, but within a year reactionary...
—some of which were successful such as the unification of Germany
Unification of Germany
The formal unification of Germany into a politically and administratively integrated nation state officially occurred on 18 January 1871 at the Versailles Palace's Hall of Mirrors in France. Princes of the German states gathered there to proclaim Wilhelm of Prussia as Emperor Wilhelm of the German...
, while others failed. Some European countries also experienced a rise in clandestine radical groups, like the Carbonari
Carbonari
The Carbonari were groups of secret revolutionary societies founded in early 19th-century Italy. The Italian Carbonari may have further influenced other revolutionary groups in Spain, France, Portugal and possibly Russia. Although their goals often had a patriotic and liberal focus, they lacked a...
in the various Italian states
Revolutions of 1848 in the Italian states
The 1848 revolutions in the Italian states were organized revolts in the states of Italy led by intellectuals and agitators who desired a liberal government. As Italian nationalists they sought to eliminate reactionary Austrian control...
and Fenianism in Dillon's native Ireland, which was then part of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
with Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
.
Generally most of Dillon's other book releases dealt with religious topics, he wrote a book about the Virgin Mother of Good Counsel
Our Lady of Good Counsel
Our Lady of Good Counsel is a title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary, after an allegedly miraculous painting now found in the thirteenth century Augustinian church at Genazzano, near Rome, Italy. Measuring 40 by 45 centimeters the image is a fresco executed on a thin layer of porcelain no thicker...
, the Sacred Heart of Jesus as well as a short piece on Irish history, specifically centered around Irish monasticism. Dillon was a Doctor of Divinity
Doctor of Divinity
Doctor of Divinity is an advanced academic degree in divinity. Historically, it identified one who had been licensed by a university to teach Christian theology or related religious subjects....
, an advanced academic degree
Academic degree
An academic degree is a position and title within a college or university that is usually awarded in recognition of the recipient having either satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of study or having conducted a scholarly endeavour deemed worthy of his or her admission to the degree...
in divinity, giving him license to teach Christian theology. He is known to have worked as a Catholic missionary in the Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n bush where he founded a mission for the aboriginals at Burragorang, a place about 65 miles away from Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
.
In recent memory the Papal States
Papal States
The Papal State, State of the Church, or Pontifical States were among the major historical states of Italy from roughly the 6th century until the Italian peninsula was unified in 1861 by the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia .The Papal States comprised territories under...
had been invaded and annexed
Capture of Rome
The Capture of Rome was the final event of the long process of Italian unification known as the Risorgimento, which finally unified the Italian peninsula under King Victor Emmanuel II of the House of Savoy...
by the newly formed Kingdom of Italy
Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)
The Kingdom of Italy was a state forged in 1861 by the unification of Italy under the influence of the Kingdom of Sardinia, which was its legal predecessor state...
—this left the Pope a Prisoner in the Vatican
Prisoner in the Vatican
A prisoner in the Vatican or prisoner of the Vatican is how Pope Pius IX described himself following the capture of Rome by the armed forces of the Kingdom of Italy on 20 September 1870. Part of the process of Italian unification, the city's capture ended the millennial temporal rule of the popes...
. The Church had become aware of the secret societies such as the Carbonari and warned the public against them in encylicals due to their strongly anti-clerical and anti-social nature. A document was unveiled named the Alta Vendita
Alta Vendita
The Permanent Instruction of the Alta Vendita is a document, originally published in Italian in the 19th century, purportedly produced by the highest lodge of the Italian Carbonari....
, purportedly produced by the highest lodge of the Carbonari. It detailed a plan for long term subversion of the Catholic Church by political liberalism, with the goal of promoting religious indifferentism, gradually eating away at Catholic dogma from within, to leave the Church a mere shell. Both Pope Pius IX
Pope Pius IX
Blessed Pope Pius IX , born Giovanni Maria Mastai-Ferretti, was the longest-reigning elected Pope in the history of the Catholic Church, serving from 16 June 1846 until his death, a period of nearly 32 years. During his pontificate, he convened the First Vatican Council in 1869, which decreed papal...
and Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII , born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci to an Italian comital family, was the 256th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, reigning from 1878 to 1903...
requested that the document be published to the general public. Indeed Leo XIII called for the faithful to "tear away the mask from Freemasonry" in his encylical Humanum Genus
Humanum Genus
Humanum Genus was a papal encyclical promulgated on April 20, 1884, by Pope Leo XIII. Coming in the ascent of the industrial age and Marxism, it posited that the late 19th Century was a dangerous era for Christians, and condemned Freemasonry as well as a number of beliefs and practices allegedly...
published in 1884. It was that same year that Dillon put together what would become the contents of this book for a lecture in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
named the Spoliation of Propaganda.
Contents
| Number | Chapter name | Number | Chapter name |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | Good versus Evil | XIII | The Carbonari |
| II | Atheism in Europe | XIV | Permanent Instruction of the Alta Vendita |
| III | Voltaire | XV | Letter of Piccolo Tigre |
| IV | Freemasonry | XVI | The Intellectual and the War Party in Masonry |
| V | The Union and "Illuminism" of Freemasonry | XVII | Lord Palmerston |
| VI | The Illuminism of Adam Weishaupt | XVIII | War of the Intellectual Party |
| VII | The Convent of Wilhelmsbad | XIX | A War Party under Palmerston |
| VIII | Cabalistic Masonry or Masonic Spiritism | XX | The International, the Nihilists, the Black Hand, etc. |
| IX | The French Revolution | XXI | Freemasonry with ourselves |
| X | Napoleon and Freemasonry | XXII | Fenianism |
| XI | Freemasonry after the Fall of Napoleon | XXIII | Conclusion |
| XII | Kindred Secret Societies in Europe | ||
Synopsis
Rise of Atheism into Illuminism
See also
- New World Order
- Catholicism and Freemasonry
- International-Communist-Judeo-Masonic conspiracyJudaeo-Masonic conspiracy theoryThe Judeo-Masonic conspiracy is a type of conspiracy theory involving an alleged secret coalition of a small section of Jews and Masons. These theories were popular on the reactionary right, particularly in France with similar allegations still being published.-Elders of Zion:The Judeo-Masonic...