Posted on 09/29/2026 6:46:44 PM PDT by ebb tide
Pope Leo XIV celebrated a motto of the French Revolution used by Freemasons – “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity” – as “universal ethical imperatives” during a speech at the Élysée on Friday.
“France was responsible for significant advances in our world, including the recognition of human rights grounded in the nature of the human person, particularly religious freedom,” said Leo in the presence of President Emmanuel Macron and French officials.
“This constant focus on the dignity inherent in every person is echoed in your national motto. Liberty, equality and fraternity are not simply words emblazoned on the front of your public buildings; they refer to universal ethical imperatives that also find in the Gospel message an inexhaustible source of inspiration and fulfillment,” said the pontiff.
Leo’s reference to “Liberty, equality and fraternity” as “universal ethical imperatives” is concerning because, while the words serve as France’s national motto, they also serve as the motto of the Freemasonic Grand Orient and the Grande Loge de France. The motto comes from the French Revolution, which was fiercely opposed to the Catholic Church, and killed thousands of bishops, priests, religious, and lay Catholics by the guillotine during the “Reign of Terror.”
Leo’s praise of the “religious freedom” he said has been recognized by France is also contrary to the Catholic Church’s traditional understanding of the subject. Pope Pius IX’s Quanta Cura and the Syllabus of Errors condemned the idea that “Every man is free to embrace and profess that religion which, guided by the light of reason, he shall consider true.”
The Pope at the same time appeared to reproach France’s secularism during Friday’s speech, which itself ultimately traces back to the French Revolution.
“The Christian involved in public life, who acts in the light of his conscience enlightened by faith, cannot be considered a proselytizer or a threat to the unity of the homeland,” Leo said, according to AdVaticanum’s Vatican correspondent Niwa Limbu.
“A just secularism therefore does not consist in excluding religion from the public sphere or from education, but in committing to ensuring that the State and religious institutions dialogue with one another and join their forces in the service of the common good,” said the Pope.
He appeared to take direct aim at France’s policy of “laïcité,” which mandates the total separation of the state from religion. The policy was codified by the 1905 Law on the Separation of the Churches and the state.
Last year, Macron delivered a national address praising the country’s secular framework, asserting that the “secular Republic” means France does not represent “an identity born of cultural, religious, or particular origins.” He praised the 1905 law as “the fulfilment of the French Revolution.”
Pope Leo highlighted on Friday the “deep Christian roots” of France, which trace to St. Irenaeus of Lyon and the baptism of Clovis, the King of the Franks, in 496, which inaugurated France’s title as the “Eldest Daughter of the Church.”
Leo also stressed the importance of the right to life, and condemned abortion, assisted suicide, and surrogacy in the presence of French officials, according to The Tablet. In doing so he rebuked France’s own pro-abortion and assisted dying laws. The country recently passed legislation that legalizes euthanasia and assisted suicide under certain conditions.
“The protection of the right to life constitutes the indispensable foundation of every other human right,” said the pontiff.
He asserted the need “to welcome life unconditionally, to support frailty with loving care, to accompany every stage of life with respect and mutual trust, and to defend with courage and compassion those unable to make their voices heard and those who feel ignored or overlooked.”
Leo also expressed concern about “trends in society that risk turning science and technology into profit-driven ventures promoting genetic manipulation, surrogacy, the trade in human organs or the possibility of arranging one’s own death.”
“Let us not forget that mutual respect and the protection of every human life is a duty incumbent upon each and every one of us,” Leo continued, recalling that the “Universal Declaration of Human Rights” was first pronounced in Paris.
Leo met privately with Macron at the Élysée Palace before his address to French civil authorities and diplomatic corps, all part of his first stop in France. His apostolic journey runs from September 25 to 28 and will include a visit to the UNESCO headquarters, to Notre Dame Cathedral, and a trip to the shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes.
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The French Revolution led by the bloodthirsty Jacobin dictator Robespierre?
He seems to have overlooked the slaughter of catholic priests during the French Revolution. Phoney bas*trd.
“He seems to have overlooked the slaughter of catholic priests during the French Revolution. Phoney bas*trd.”
___________________________________________________________
That’s what happens when you serve the King instead of serving God.
Did he say anything about the 16 Carmelite nuns who were beheaded by the French Revolution on July 17, 1794?
The Carmelite Nuns of Compiegne refused to give up their vows and were executed by guillotine.
The incident was made into an opera, in the final scene the nuns walk to their death singing “Salve Regina”, as the haunting sound of the guillotine punctuates each beheading:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wp7YrZ1H05g
Onlookers were filled with horror and regret, the reign of terror ended 10 days later with Robespierre’s death by the same guillotine.
RE: Pope Leo celebrated a motto used by Freemasons...
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Are Catholics free to become Freemasons?
No. Freemasonry is incompatible with the Catholic faith....
Historically, one of Masonry’s primary objectives has been the destruction of the Catholic Church; this is especially true of Freemasonry as it has existed in certain European countries....
Because the revised code of canon law is not explicit on this point, some drew the mistaken conclusion that the Church’s prohibition of Freemasonry had been dropped. As a result of this confusion, shortly before the 1983 code was promulgated, the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a statement indicating that the penalty was still in force. This statement was dated November 26, 1983 and may be found in Origins 13/27 (Nov. 15, 1983), 450.
——From Catholic Answers.
https://www.catholic.com/qa/what-does-the-church-say-about-freemasonry
The article conclusion is false.
The article concludes “Leo’s reference to “Liberty, equality and fraternity” as “universal ethical imperatives”
Whereas Pope Leo did NOT say that. He said the words “refer to universal ethical imperatives that also find in the Gospel message an inexhaustible source of inspiration and fulfillment,”
The press lies. As usual.
The article itself shows that he did not “celebrate” the motto and in fact be just said that they “feedback”
Ebb, you are once again engaging in equivocation merging two entirely different concepts:
1. State Secularism (Laïcité) vs. Religious Liberty: The Pope was advocating for a “just secularism” that allows faith to have a voice in the public square, rather than being forcibly silenced by the state.
And
2.
Indifferentism (Condemned in Quanta Cura): The error that all religions are equally valid pathways to God, or that truth and falsehood have equal rights in the realm of conscience
Have you even READ exactly what Pope Pius IX condemned in Quanta Cura and the Syllabus (1864)????
When Pope Pius IX condemned the proposition that “Every man is free to embrace and profess that religion which... he shall consider true,” he was condemning Religious Indifferentism and Radical Rationalism.
Pope Pius IX was refuting the 19th-century Enlightenment idea that:
- Morality and religion are purely subjective.
- God does not reveal absolute truth.
- Truth and error have the exact same moral rights in society.
In contrast to your condemnation of Pope Leo, perhaps you should actually READ what the article itself sailys he did.
Pope Leo advocated for a “just secularism” in France, he was directly challenging aggressive French state secularism (laïcité)!!!
Advocating that the Church should be legally free from state oppression is not the same as saying all religions are true. It is defending the freedom of the Church to operate in the world.
I know you’ll try to deviate with a whatabouttery, so please stick to this topic in France itself. Are you capable of that, ebb tide???
Ebb, you are once again engaging in equivocation merging two entirely different concepts:
1. State Secularism (Laïcité) vs. Religious Liberty: The Pope was advocating for a “just secularism” that allows faith to have a voice in the public square, rather than being forcibly silenced by the state.
And
2.
Indifferentism (Condemned in Quanta Cura): The error that all religions are equally valid pathways to God, or that truth and falsehood have equal rights in the realm of conscience
Have you even READ exactly what Pope Pius IX condemned in Quanta Cura and the Syllabus (1864)????
When Pope Pius IX condemned the proposition that “Every man is free to embrace and profess that religion which... he shall consider true,” he was condemning Religious Indifferentism and Radical Rationalism.
Pope Pius IX was refuting the 19th-century Enlightenment idea that:
- Morality and religion are purely subjective.
- God does not reveal absolute truth.
- Truth and error have the exact same moral rights in society.
In contrast to your condemnation of Pope Leo, perhaps you should actually READ what the article itself sailys he did.
Pope Leo advocated for a “just secularism” in France, he was directly challenging aggressive French state secularism (laïcité)!!!
Advocating that the Church should be legally free from state oppression is not the same as saying all religions are true. It is defending the freedom of the Church to operate in the world.
I know you’ll try to deviate with a whatabouttery, so please stick to this topic in France itself. Are you capable of that, ebb tide???
Pre-conciliar popes—including Leo XIII (Immortale Dei) and Pius XI (Quas Primas)—explicitly taught that the Church must have the freedom to exercise her mission in society without being silenced or controlled by the secular state.
Defending the legal right of the Church to preach the Gospel in the public square is not ‘contrary to traditional understanding’—it is the historical, traditional claim of the Papacy against state totalitarianism. Quoting Pius IX to justify the French secular state’s suppression of public religion is deeply ironic.
Pre-conciliar popes—including Leo XIII (Immortale Dei) and Pius XI (Quas Primas)—explicitly taught that the Church must have the freedom to exercise her mission in society without being silenced or controlled by the secular state.
Defending the legal right of the Church to preach the Gospel in the public square is not ‘contrary to traditional understanding’—it is the historical, traditional claim of the Papacy against state totalitarianism. Quoting Pius IX to justify the French secular state’s suppression of public religion is deeply ironic.
He didn’t actually — see https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/4397137/posts and its root article https://www.breitbart.com/faith/2026/09/26/pinkerton-pope-leo-attacks-the-root-of-left-wing-radicalism-in-france/
but Ebb only posts Catholic articles with a negative bias.
Definitely not cheering on Leo but truth matters; he appears to have both praised the government for its secularism and emphasized the Christian heritage of France, in one go mourning the martyrs of the revolution and that it happened.
Not what *I*d do there as Pope for sure!
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