Secret societies are the favorite subject of many conspiracy theorists worldwide. The idea that some of these shady organizations secretly control the world’s economics and politics, is scary.
The concept of a secret society has been around for centuries, and some secret societies, like the Freemasons, had definitely influenced the course of history.
Freemasons emerged in England during the 17th century, and people of all religions were eligible to become members of this famous secret society. However, in 1738 Pope Clement XII issued a papal bull known as the “In eminenti apostolatus specula”, with which he banned Catholics from becoming Freemasons. The punishment for breaking this new rule was excommunication from the Catholic community.
As a reaction to the papal bull, a para-masonic secret society was founded by Roman Catholics and named the “Mops-Orden”, or the “Order of the Pug”. It is widely believed that the founder of society was Klemens August of Bavaria, who chose the symbol of a pug because it represented trustworthiness and loyalty.
The ritual of initiation for the new members of the Order of the Pug was unbelievably hilarious. The new members had to wear a dog collar and scratch the door of the society’s common room to enter. After this, they would be blindfolded and led around a carpet that was adorned with the symbol of the pug, and the senior members would bark at them.
The final phase of the ritual included kissing the backside of a porcelain pug, which was the expression of complete devotion to the society.
The senior members of the Order of the Pug were required to wear specifically designed jewelry, which included a silver medallion with the symbol of the pug. These senior members were simply known as the “Mops”, which is the German for “pugs”.
In 1745, an anonymous writer under the pseudonym Abbe Larudan wrote a book named “L’ordre des Franc-Maçons trahi et le Secret des Mopses révélé”. The book exposed the secrets of the Order of the Pug, and many historians believe that Abbe Larudan was in fact an anti-masonic clergyman of the Catholic Church.
Because of the book, the Order of the Pug was banned and outlawed in Europe in 1748, only 8 years after it was founded. Still, some researchers believe that the society continued to exist until 1907, shrouded in a veil of secrecy.
Nowadays, the pug dogs are considered as either extremely cute or extremely ugly. Not many people know that they were once an esteemed symbol of a secret society that defied the laws of the Christian Church. Next time you see a pug, don’t mock its weird eyes and pet it with respect.