Pope Leo XIV celebrates Masonic, French Revolutionary motto ‘Liberty, Equality, Fraternity’

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Pope Leo XIV celebrates Masonic, French Revolutionary motto ‘Liberty, Equality, Fraternity’
Pope Leo celebrated a motto used by Freemasons that traces back to the bloody, anti-Catholic French Revolution.



Pope Leo XIV
Marco Iacobucci Epp/Shutterstock

Sep 25, 2026
(LifeSiteNews) — Pope Leo XIV celebrated a motto of the French Revolution used by Freemasons —”Liberty, Equality, Fraternity” — as “universal ethical imperatives” during a speech at the Élysée on Friday.

“France was responsible for significant advances in our world, including the recognition of human rights grounded in the nature of the human person, particularly religious freedom,” said Leo in the presence of President Emmanuel Macron and French officials.

“This constant focus on the dignity inherent in every person is echoed in your national motto. Liberty, equality and fraternity are not simply words emblazoned on the front of your public buildings; they refer to universal ethical imperatives that also find in the Gospel message an inexhaustible source of inspiration and fulfillment,” said the pontiff.

Leo’s reference to “Liberty, equality and fraternity” as “universal ethical imperatives” is concerning because, while the words serve as France’s national motto, they also serve as the motto of the Freemasonic Grand Orient and the Grande Loge de France. The motto comes from the French Revolution, which was fiercely opposed to the Catholic Church, and killed thousands of bishops, priests, religious, and lay Catholics by the guillotine during the “Reign of Terror.”

Leo’s praise of the “religious freedom” he said has been recognized by France is also contrary to the Catholic Church’s traditional understanding of the subject. Pope Pius IX’s Quanta Cura and the Syllabus of Errors condemned the idea that “Every man is free to embrace and profess that religion which, guided by the light of reason, he shall consider true.”

The pope at the same time appeared to reproach France’s secularism during Friday’s speech, which itself ultimately traces back to the French Revolution.

“The Christian involved in public life, who acts in the light of his conscience enlightened by faith, cannot be considered a proselytizer or a threat to the unity of the homeland,” Leo said, according to AdVaticanum’s Vatican correspondent Niwa Limbu.

“A just secularism therefore does not consist in excluding religion from the public sphere or from education, but in committing to ensuring that the State and religious institutions dialogue with one another and join their forces in the service of the common good,” said the pope.

He appeared to take direct aim at France’s policy of “laïcité,” which mandates the total separation of the state from religion. The policy was codified by the 1905 Law on the Separation of the Churches and the State.

Last year, Macron delivered a national address praising the country’s secular framework, asserting that the “secular Republic” means France does not represent “an identity born of cultural, religious, or particular origins.” He praised the 1905 law as “the fulfilment of the French Revolution.”

Pope Leo highlighted on Friday the “deep Christian roots” of France, which trace to St. Irenaeus of Lyon and the baptism of Clovis, the King of the Franks, in 496, which inaugurated France’s title as the “Eldest Daughter of the Church.”

Leo also stressed the importance of the right to life, and condemned abortion,  assisted suicide, and surrogacy in the presence of French officials, according to The Tablet. In doing so he rebuked France’s own pro-abortion and assisted dying laws. The country recently passed legislation that legalizes euthanasia and assisted suicide under certain conditions.

“The protection of the right to life constitutes the indispensable foundation of every other human right,” said the pontiff.

He asserted the need “to welcome life unconditionally, to support frailty with loving care, to accompany every stage of life with respect and mutual trust, and to defend with courage and compassion those unable to make their voices heard and those who feel ignored or overlooked.”

Leo also expressed concern about “trends in society that risk turning science and technology into profit-driven ventures promoting genetic manipulation, surrogacy, the trade in human organs or the possibility of arranging one’s own death.”

“Let us not forget that mutual respect and the protection of every human life is a duty incumbent upon each and every one of us,” Leo continued, recalling that the “Universal Declaration of Human Rights” was first pronounced in Paris.

Leo met privately with Macron at the Élysée Palace before his address to French civil authorities and diplomatic corps, all part of his first stop in France. His apostolic journey runs from Sept. 25 to 28 and will include a visit to the UNESCO headquarters, to Notre Dame Cathedral, and a trip to the shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes.