In the Latin countries, since the 18th century, and even more so during the 19th century, Freemasonry has been a sounding board and a vector of new ideas. This is reflected in the idea of Freemasonry that the Masons of these countries have, but also in the image that Masonry has in the general public. One of the challenges of Masonic history is to try to understand why Freemasonry has taken this direction in Latin countries while in Anglo-Saxon areas it has remained above all a sociability and even, globally, a rather conservative one. It is clear that the very early opposition of the Roman Catholic Church to Freemasonry played a great role in this evolution. Its very important weight in Latin societies made that the conservative circles turned away from the Lodges. On the contrary, Lodges became attractive for the liberals. But this progressive character of Freemasonry is perhaps not only due to a combination of historical circumstances? It may also be rooted in the deep nature of Freemasonry and its concern for human happiness. What elements can the historical approach bring to this problem? This is what we will try to answer in these pages.

This new issue of Ritual, Secrecy and Civil Society includes some of the papers from the World Congress on Fraternalism, Social Capital, and Civil Society (WCF) organized in Paris in spring 2022 by PSO in collaboration with the Museum of Freemasonry in Paris. The Grand Chapter General of the Grand Orient de France sponsored a special session devoted to the links between the 18th century French Rite and the Enlightenment. Pierre Mollier, Editor