When an organization as big and powerful as the RC church conducts such a long and determined ‘crusade’ against a much smaller and quieter group like the Freemasons, I have to ask myself why.
I doubt very much that it’s to save Catholics from ‘demons’.
I think your mentioning the word ‘crusade’ is relevant to Catholic Church history and future.
I found it interesting Samuel FB Morse warning to Abraham Lincoln about the Catholic conspiracy to assassinate him - it was viewed the greatest threat to Catholic Hegemony was an evangelical United States. The military tribunal finding a Catholic connection to his assassination was held back due to the numbers of Irish Catholics performing as sergeants on both sides of the Civil War. Fear of a religious war returning (don’t forget the creation of Maryland as a Catholic colony created violence among the protestant strong colonies surrounding them) if proclaimed in the trial.
Fast forward 160 years and you have the fundamentals of liberation theology spread throughout latin america and the eventual communist pope coming from there.
I guess we can blame the Jesuits?