“According to the pontiff, the scandal aroused by the ‘shameful accusations’ against the Knights Templar (heresy, idolatry, homosexuality and obscene behavior) would have dissuaded anyone from wearing the Templar habit and on the other hand, a delay on a decision regarding these issues would produce the squandering of the great wealth the Christians in the Holy Land offered to the Templars, charged with the duty to help fight against the enemies of the Faith in the Holy Land. The attentive consideration of these dangers, together with the pressure of the French, convinced the Pope to abolish the Order of the Knights of the Temple.”

Pope Clement’s absolution was of no earthly value to de Molay. For the sins and crimes against God and the Church to which he confessed under torture, he was burned at the stake. Other Templars were also executed, and the Templar treasures were confiscated by King Phillip.

Following publication of the Chinon document, the London Daily Telegraph reported “that the Association of the Sovereign Order of the Temple of Christ had launched a court case in Spain, demanding that Pope Benedict ‘recognize’ the seizure of Templar assets worth [100 billion euros]. The Spanish-based group of Templars declared, ‘We are not trying to cause the economic collapse of the Roman Catholic Church, but to illustrate to the court the magnitude of the plot against our Order.’”

Of the revelations in the Chinon parchment Time magazine noted, “The notion of that much money, power and influence vanishing at a Papal pen stroke appears to have been too much for the mythic sensibility of the West, which wanted to believe that the Templars must somehow have survived, adapted, or been subsumed into another, even more secretive transnational group.

“Over the centuries, the allegedly still-extant order has been portrayed as malevolent, benign, heroic and occult. Time observed that “organizations all over the world, without any direct connection, have appropriated its name…Such homages should not obscure the fact that however much power they enjoy in the realm of fiction and fantasy, it almost certainly does not equal that which they once actually possessed-and then abruptly lost.”

Five centuries after Pope Clement V colluded with Phillip the Fair to wipe out the Templars, the Vatican archives received a declaration known as a papal “bull” (encyclical) issued by Pope Leo XIII that prohibited membership by Catholics in the Freemasons. Titled Humanum Genus, issued on April 20, 1884, it stated, “Let no man think that he may for any reason whatsoever join the Masonic sect, if he values his Catholic name and his eternal salvation as he ought to value them.” The Code of Canon Law, 1917 edition, in Canon 2335, declared, “Persons joining associations of the Masonic sect or any others of the same kind which plot against the Church and legitimate civil authorities contract ipso facto excommunication simply reserved to the Apostolic See.”

On July 18, 1974, Cardinal Franjo Šeper, Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, wrote a letter to the presidents of all the episcopal conferences, saying, “(1) the Holy See had repeatedly sought information from the bishops about contemporary Masonic activities directed against the Church; (2) there would be no new law on this matter, pending the revision of the Canon Law including Canon 2335, (3) all penal canons must be interpreted strictly, and (4) the express prohibition against Masonic membership by clerics, religious and members of secular institutes was to remain in force.’

“Many well-intentioned priests interpreted this letter…as allowing lay Catholics to become Masons if the local bishop found that the lodge in question was not actively plotting against the Catholic Church or the civil authorities. Since Canon 2335 was in force at that time, and remained in force until 1983, they should have realized that even Cardinal Šeper had no authority to allow lay Catholics to become Masons. Cardinal Šeper, on February 17, 1981, attempted to end the confusion with a formal declaration [that said] his original letter did not in any way change the force of the existing Canon 2335, and the stated canonical penalties were in no way abrogated…

“When the new Code came out in 1983, Canon 1374 stated, ‘A person who joins an association which plots against the Church is to be punished with a just penalty; one who promotes or takes office in such an association is to be punished with an interdict.’…

“Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, then the new Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and now Pope Benedict XVI, issued his Declaration on Masonic Associations…[that] states ‘the Church’s negative judgment in regard to Masonic association remains unchanged since their principles have always been considered irreconcilable with the doctrine of the Church and therefore membership in them remains forbidden. The faithful who enrolled in Masonic associations would be in a state of grave sin and could not receive Holy Communion.’”

“The Vatican expected most copies of the Chinon parchment to be purchased by specialized libraries at top universities and by leading medieval scholars. The Livingston Masonic Library in New York may be the only Masonic-affiliated research facility to purchase a copy… ‘We areaware that this purchase will raise some eyebrows, both within and outside the Masonic fraternity,’ noted Thomas M. Savini, director of the Livingston Masonic Library. ‘But the acquisition of this work coincides with our mission to collect, study and preserve the Masonic heritage. The Masonic heritage includes investigation into Freemasonry’s historical roots, but also the study of its inspirational roots, which include Rosicrucianism; the study of philosophy from the European Enlightenment; and study of the Knights Templar. This collection of documents is important not only to students of Freemasonry, but to medieval and religious scholars and historians as well. It is important that someone in the U.S. make this available, and the Library’s Board of Directors unanimously agreed that it should be us.’”

CHAPTER 3

Vatican Treasures

Standing on the left bank of the Tiber River in Rome, adjacent to the ancient Circus of Nero, where tradition holds that “St. Peter, the first pope and the apostle to whom Christ entrusted his ministry, was martyred in A.D. 67. The seat of the Holy See and the pope’s principal place of residence, it is the smallest independent state in the world.” But is it the richest?

“In A.D. 320-27, the emperor Constantine built a five-aisled basilica” on what is believed to be the site of St. Peter’s grave, “with a shrine in the apse of the church to mark the location of Peter’s tomb. By the fifteenth century, the building was in disrepair and more space was needed, and plans were made to repair and expand the church.” In the reign of Pope Julius II (1503-13), known as the Warrior Pope because he “donned armor to lead troops in defense of papal lands,” work was commenced on a tomb for Julius, an enormous freestanding monument designed by Michelangelo. Julius then decided to tear down the Constantinian basilica and rebuild St. Peter’s entirely.

“At the same time, Julius commissioned frescoes for the interior of the Vatican palace. He asked Raphael to paint four rooms for use as papal offices and reception spaces.” While Raphael worked, Michelangelo was painting the ceiling of the papal chapel known as the Cappella Sistina, or Sistine Chapel (1508-12). “Michelangelo painted the vault with scenes from the book of Genesis: the Creation of the world and of Adam and Eve, the Fall and Expulsion from the Garden of Eden, and God’s destruction of the world by the flood…

“In 1546, Michelangelo, now seventy-one years old, was named the architect of St. Peter’s and dismantled some construction” and began work on “the first great dome to be raised on a colonnade. Designed by Michelangelo, but not completed until after his death, it crowns the church.”