- Alta Vendita
Originally published in Italian in the 19th century, the "Alta Vendita" (or, in full: "The permanent instruction of the Alta Vendita") is a document purportedly produced by the highest lodge ["At the head was the alta vendita, to which deputies were chosen from the other vendite." [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03330c.htm Catholic Encyclopedia: Carbonari] ] of the Italian Carbonari. [The full text is here. [http://www.catholicvoice.co.uk/dillon/text.htm#14] ]
The document details an alleged Masonic plan to infiltrate the
Roman Catholic church and spread liberal ideas within it. The Carbonari had strong similarities toFreemasonry , and so the document is seen by some as a Masonic document. In the nineteenth centuryPope Pius IX ["This little booklet reprints a collection of papers — reputedly from 1820s Alta Vendita correspondence — published by authority of Pope Pius IX (1846-1878) in 1859." cite web|url=http://freemasonry.bcy.ca/anti-masonry/anti-masonry01.html#alta|title=Anti-masonry Frequently Asked Questions:"Q 10. Doesn't the Alta Vendita prove that Freemasonry is anti-Catholic?"|accessdate=2006-08-14|author=Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon|date=2004-12-15] andPope Leo XIII both asked for it to be published. It was popularised in the English speaking world by MonsignorGeorge Dillon in 1885 with his book "The War of Anti-Christ with the Church and Christian Civilization". [Republished byDenis Fahey in 1950 as "Grand Orient Freemasonry Unmasked as the Secret Power Behind Communism"]It is still propagated by many traditionalist and
sedevacantist Catholics, who believe it accurately describes the evolution of the church in the post-Vatican II era. ["The post-Vatican II revolution bears all the hallmarks of the fulfilling of the designs of the Permanent Instruction of the Alta Vendita" [http://www.catholicintl.com/epologetics/articles/pastoral/masonry.htm Freemasonry and the Subversion of the Catholic Church] by John Vennari (Traditionalist Catholic)]References
External links
* [http://www.carboneria.it/apocripha.htm Original Italian Text here (#II. on page)]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
