There’s something pathetic and final about this photo of a wheelchair-bound Pope receiving B’Nai’Brith’s highest honor: how can the Church ever recover from such an image?
It was May 30, 2022, Pope Francis received an award from B’Nai’Brith (the most powerful Jewish freemasonry) to thank him for his support of them.
All Francis’s predecessors, from Clement XII onwards, have condemned in advance such allegiance to the Anti-Christ sect. Among many other documents, we can only recommend Leo XIII’s magisterial encyclical Humanum genus (04/20/1884).
All his predecessors? No. In fact, Leo XIII’s encyclical would seem to mark the beginning of a gray area, getting darker and darker as we approach Pope Francis.
Pope Francis, during the audience granted to B’Nai’Brith on May 30, 2022, delivered an address that can be found here. In this address, he recalls the already long history of contacts between B’Nai’Brith and the Vatican.
Incidentally, this wasn’t the first time that Pope Francis himself had met B’Nai’Brith representatives at the Vatican; on June 25, 2015, a similar meeting had taken place, immortalized in a B’Nai’Brith video. Both sides are celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of Paul VI’s “Nostra Aetate” address on October 28, 1965. The text of Pope Francis’ address on this occasion is available here.
On its website, B’Nai’Brith likes to recall that before he was known around the world at Pope Francis, then-Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio hosted B’nai B’rith’s Kristallnacht commemoration in Buenos Aires in 2012.
Going back to Pope Francis’ immediate predecessors, we find:
A meeting in the Papal Hall on Thursday, May 12, 2011, between Pope Benedict XVI and B’Nai’Brith: “Dear Friends, I am pleased to greet this delegation of B’nai B’rith International. I recall with pleasure my earlier meeting with a delegation of your organization some five years ago.”
About five years ago, says Pope Benedict XVI, and, indeed, on Monday December 18, 2006, the text of Pope Benedict’s address on that occasion can be found here.
Ten years earlier, on March 11, 1996, His Holiness John Paul II addressed a delegation from B’NAI B’RITH International: “Dear Friends, I am pleased to welcome once more a group of representatives of B nai B’rith International.”
September 29, 1984, address by John Paul II to a delegation from the Anti-Defamation League of B’Nai B’RITH (Sons of the Covenant) Consistory Hall of the Papal Palace, Castel Gandolfo.
All of John Paul II’s addresses to the Jewish community can be found here.
Pope John Paul II was the first to visit Auschwitz.
On Wednesday May 17, 1978 (in French, not available in English), during a general audience, Paul VI had these words for the B’NAI’BRITH: “To the Members of a Jewish Association. We now extend a warm welcome to the members of the Anti-Defamation League of B nai B’rith. We are very grateful for your visit and for the respect it shows.”
As mentioned above, Pope Paul VI began this whole shift towards the Jewish community (and other religions) with his Nostra aetate on October 28, 1965.
Finally, as JTA reminds us, on February 3, 1958, “Pope Pius XII granted an audience to Philip Klutznick and Frank Goldman, president and honorary president respectively, of the B’nai B’rith, it was announced here today when the two B’nai B’rith leaders returned from a trip to Rome and a subsequent tour of Israel. The Pope congratulated Mr. Klutznick and Mr. Goldmann on the good work and philanthropy of the B’nai B’rith.”
Makes you wonder if, in order to find Pope Francis’ successor, we shouldn’t find out about any B’Nai’Brith meetings with this or that cardinal.
Here’s a fine example with Cardinal Christoph von Schönborn, Austria, receiving his Menorah from B’nai B’rith on October 23, 2013.
The reason for the festivity: The European Lodge of B’nai B’rith wanted to give Schönborn its symbolic award, the “Menorah for outstanding humanitarian achievement.” Ach so! However, the cardinal is already 80 years old …
In any case, to cut a long story short, we may be witnessing a historic reversal of the balance of power.
Sources:
May 30, 2022: Bergoglio receives award from the B’nai B’rith
Bergoglio receives award from the B’nai B’rith
ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS TO A DELEGATION FROM B’NAI B’RITH INTERNATIONAL Monday, 30 May 2022
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2022/may/documents/20220530-bnaibrith.html
HUMANUM GENUS
ENCYCLICAL OF POPE LEO XIII
ON FREEMASONRY
Humanum Genus (April 20, 1884) | LEO XIII
Echo of the May 30, 2022 interview in the Jerusalem Post
In meeting with Pope Francis, B’nai B’rith calls for Accords expansion – The Jerusalem Post
Video B’nai B’rith Presents Gift To Pope Francis le 25 juin 2015
B’nai B’rith Presents Gift To Pope Francis
Video Papa udienza B’nai B’rith International 25-06-2015
Centro Televisivo Vaticano – Archivio
Papa udienza B’nai B’rith International 25-06-2015
ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS
TO MEMBERS OF THE “B’NAI B’RITH INTERNATIONAL” DELEGATION
Hall of Popes
Thursday, 25 June 2015
To members of the of B’nai B’rith International delegation (25 June 2015) | Francis
ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI
TO A DELEGATION OF B’NAI B’RITH INTERNATIONAL
Hall of Popes
Thursday, 12 May 2011
To a delegation of B’nai B’rith International (May 12, 2011) | BENEDICT XVI
GREETING OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI
TO A DELEGATION FROM B’NAI B’RITH INTERNATIONAL
Monday, 18 December 2006
Greeting to a delegation from B’nai B’rith International (December 18, 2006) | BENEDICT XVI
ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS JOHN PAUL II
TO A GROUP OF REPRESENTATIVES
OF THE “B’NAI B’RITH INTERNATIONAL”
Monday, 11 March 1996
https://www.christianunity.va/content/unitacristiani/fr/commissione-per-i-rapporti-religiosi-con-l-ebraismo/atti-commemorativi1/pope-john-paul-ii/1995-address-to-representatives-of-b-nai-b-rith-international.html
ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS JOHN PAUL II
TO THE REPRESENTATIVES
OF THE “ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE OF B’NAI B’RITH”
Consistory Hall
Thursday, 29 September 1994
EN
List of John Paul II’s speeches to the Jewish community
Pape Jean-Paul II
PAUL VI GENERAL AUDIENCE Wednesday, May 17, 1978
Audience générale, 17 mai 1978 – Paul VI | Paul VI
B’nai B’rith leaders received by Pope Pius Xii at the Vatican
B’nai B’rith Leaders Received by Pope Pius Xii in Vatican City – Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Nostra Aetate Rome, St Peter’s, October 28 1965.
Nostra aetate
Source: https://www.theoccidentalobserver.net/2025/03/13/vatican-bnai-brith-a-long-story-made-short/