Some say that the only force powerful enough to destroy the Knights Templar was the Roman Catholic Church. Alarmed by the persistent reports that Freemasonry was the rebirth of the Templars, the Church took deadly aim at this seemingly innocent organization. Noted Masonic scholar Dudley Wright recounts the events of the Church's history of attacks and persecution of Freemasonry. It is a story that must be read. Included in this revised edition is the 1884 Humanus Genus by Pope Leo XIII and the answer by Albert Pike.