It is inspired by their sentiments and imitating their language that you, Holy Father, have called us rebels—a terrible charge, yet not such as to prevent us from feeling all the injustice with which we are treated, or from appreciating the gravity of the present hour.
Holy Father, your friends tell you that we are "opening up the path of eternal ruin for all," and we tell you that the enemies of the Church are rejoicing in the hostility with which you are opposing our work. We tell you that no longer ago than April 22 last an authoritative journal of Milan declared that, though it was certain that our ideas would triumph in a not distant future, yet before they triumphed the Socialists would have completely turned to their advantage the persecution which is dogging the footsteps of our young men. We would remind you, too, of these words which a French Freemason recently uttered to a friend. "Our whole hope,"
