By Paul Brock, Church Militant - Pope Clement XII condemned Freemasonry in 1738. This was just about 20 years after the first grand lodge was set up in London, England in 1717... Although the Catholic Church was the Masons' biggest enemy and central target, many non-Catholics saw the threat to society that Freemasonry represented and joined the fight against them... As time passed and Freemasonry kept growing, a significant number of Protestants joined the Catholic Church in opposition to it, as they saw Freemasonry as a force diametrically opposed to Christianity in general.