>>714118 (previous bread)
The freemasons were never Knights Templar, even though they have stolen the name. That is a fantasy/lie to cloak themselves with the nobility and romance of the actual military order.
For a more accurate history of the Knights Templar visit the Catholic Encyclopedia entry at http:// www.newadvent.org/cathen/14493a.htm.
The Knights Templar were a religious military order under the authority of the Pope. They were set up to help guard the holy sites in Jerusalem during the period of Mohammedan invasions and resultant Christian crusades.
Thus the rise and fall of the Knights was always under the purview of the Pope. The Church did not usurp their authority. It would be like saying POTUS cannot take charge of the CIA or any other alphabet agency.
Similarly, the wealth of the Knights Templar was governed by the Knights but ultimately owned by the Church. Just as the DoD budget is administered by DoD but it falls under the authority of POTUS and Congress and ultimately the American people.
The tragic end of the Order and its leader and ultimate amalgamation of the remaining Templars into other Knights/military orders was a result of political intrigue involving the French ruler Philip the Fair and a weak French Pope.
The freemasons stole the identity of the Knights Templar in order to justify their desire to destroy the Catholic Church.