Pope Francis’s statement in Abu Dhabi on religious pluralism being “willed by God” — and his call to Christians and Muslims to enter the “ark of fraternity” — seem not only to “overturn the doctrine of the Gospel” but also to align with the ideas of Freemasonry, a respected Italian historian has said.

In comments to LifeSite (see full text in article), Professor Roberto de Mattei, Founder and President of the Rome-based Lepanto Foundation, also said the Pope’s recent statements appear to be in discontinuity with the Fourth Lateran Council and with magisterial teaching from Pope Gregory XVI to Pope Pius XI. The Pope came under fire on Monday for signing the “Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together,” with Ahmad el-Tayeb, Grand Imam of Egypt’s al-Azhar Mosque, during an interreligious meeting in Abu Dhabi.

The Feb. 4 joint statement incited controversy among Christians for asserting that “the pluralism and the diversity of religions” are “willed by God in His wisdom, through which He created human beings” — a claim many believe to be contrary to the Catholic faith.
Earlier the same day, the Pope also made what some regard as equally problematic remarks to the Muslim Council of Elders, but the statements garnered less attention.

Commenting on the Genesis flood narrative and Noah’s Ark, the Pope told Muslim leaders:

“According to the biblical account, in order to preserve humanity from destruction, God asked Noah to enter the ark along with his family. We too in the name of God, in order to safeguard peace, need to enter together as one family into an ark which can sail the stormy seas of the world: the ark of fraternity.”

“Fraternity” has in fact become the new buzzword for the current pontificate. In his Urbi et Orbi address on Christmas Day, Pope Francis said his wish for a happy Christmas was a “wish for fraternity.” Freemasons in Europe praised the Pope’s message, saying it demonstrates “the Church’s current departure” from its condemnation of Freemasonry.

The new year then opened with the editor-in-chief of the Osservatore Romano, Andrea Monda, announcing that “fraternity” is the “word of hope” for 2019. “Fraternity” and “humanism” has also featured prominently in recent Vatican statements, most notably in the Pope’s letter to the Pontifical Academy for Life.

In light of recent events, LifeSite asked Prof. de Mattei for his thoughts on the Pope’s statements in Abu Dhabi, the current pontificate’s emphasis on “fraternity,” and this term’s meaning within Freemasonry. According to de Mattei, when “fraternity” is divorced from Christian charity, “far from constituting an element of cohesion in society,” it “becomes the source of its disintegration.” He argues that “if men, in the name of fraternity, are forced to live together without an end that gives meaning to their sense of belonging, the ‘ark’ becomes a prison.”

The Catholic historian also reminds readers that “Freemasonry continues to be condemned by the Church, even if the men of the Church, at the highest levels, seem to embrace its ideas.”

Full article: https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/popes-claim-that-god-wills-many-religions-seems-to-overturn-gospel-church-h