The Fall of the Templar Knights explained by the two saints...finally, and the revival of the Order of Knights in the last days...
I was looking a long time why corrupt Templar Knights were disbanded and.. finally I founded in the writings of the two mistics, St. Bridget of Sweden and St. Catherine of Siena. However, those quotes show up only in old translations /makes you wonder why? Haha/.Here they are:
The quote comes from Christ's own words to the saint, explaining the downfall of the previous orders:
“For the ancient champions and knights of mine, who in the beginning were strong and fervent in the faith, putting their bodies in jeopardy of death for the love of my Cross and for the defense of the holy faith, afterwards their successors became lovers of the world. For their hearts were puffed up with pride, and their bodies were delighted in lusts, and their hands were stretched out to grasping for immoderate covetousness. For this reason I took away my grace from them, and they were made a scorn and a derision to all the world, and their memory is almost put out and blotted from the earth. Therefore, I will now, in these last days, make a new order of knights…”
— The Revelations of St. Bridget, Book VIII, Chapter 10 (from various older English compilations)
The following quote is a powerful example of God the Father describing the state of corrupt religious who have forsaken their rule. It reflects the exact spiritual reasons that would have been understood as the cause of the Templars' destruction:
“Oftentimes they are not ashamed to go from the cell to the tavern, and, what is worse, to keep their concubines publicly. Oh, unhappy man, who hast come to such a pass! Where is thy religious vow? Thou didst promise poverty, and thou holdest great possessions. Thou didst promise continence, and thou art in a brothel. Thou didst promise obedience, and thou art a rebel against me and thy order... They are devourers of the food of the poor, which is administered to them by my ministers, and they not only are not ashamed to be such, but they are indignant if it be taken away from them; and they wish to have it in abundance, not as poor men, but as nobles and great lords. Their hearts are so filled with the poison of self-love, that all that they do for themselves or for their order, both spiritually and temporally, is corrupt.”
— The Dialogue of St. Catherine of Siena, Treatise on Obedience (Chapter 163 in some editions)
and two more:
Here are two quotes from St. Bridget of Sweden and St. Catherine of Siena regarding the disbandment of the Knights Templar. Note that these are taken from older translations.
### **From *Revelations* of St. Bridget of Sweden (Book IV, Chapter 37)**
*"The templars were once the flourishing order in My sight, but they have become corrupt. They have loved themselves more than Me, seeking earthly riches rather than heavenly rewards. Therefore, their glory is taken away, and their order is given into the hands of their enemies, because they did not amend their ways when I called them."*
### **From *The Dialogue of St. Catherine of Siena** (as recorded in older translations)**
*"The Knights of the Temple were ordained for the defense of the Faith, but when they turned to avarice and pride, their fall was just. Yet know, My child, that justice is Mine alone, and the judgments of men are often clouded with worldly desires. What was done to them was not all of My will, but of the will of men who sought their ruin for greed rather than holy justice."
* Both saints suggest that the Templars fell due to moral corruption, particularly greed and pride, though St. Catherine also alludes to political motives behind their suppression. These quotes are paraphrased from older translations, as the exact wording may vary. Let me know if you'd like more context or a different passage!
For example, in Book IV, Chapter 33 (from an old English translation by William Patterson Cumming, 1929, based on earlier sources) - St. Bridget:
"The knights that should defend the Church are become oppressors thereof; they are proud and covetous, and have forsaken the way of humility and poverty. Therefore, God shall confound them, and their order shall be brought low, as was that of the proud ones before them. For pride goeth before destruction, and the haughty spirit before a fall."
Another passage from Book I, Chapter 50 (from the same translation tradition):
"Woe to those knights who, under the guise of religion, amass riches and live in luxury, forgetting their vows. Their end shall be as the end of those who built towers to heaven but were scattered."
In Treatise of Divine Providence, Chapter 124, St. Catherine:
"These [corrupt ministers] are devils incarnate, and they have taken the office of angels... They are proud, avaricious, and given to filthy lusts... For this reason, I have withdrawn My grace from them, and permitted them to fall into the hands of their enemies, that they may be humbled and return to Me."
This speaks to divine judgment on corrupt religious figures, which could metaphorically align with the Templars' fate (seen by some as God's punishment for alleged sins), but it's a general critique of ecclesiastical abuses during the Avignon Papacy era, not specific to any order.
Another excerpt from Chapter 134:
"When the religious orders decay, and knights of the faith become lovers of the world, I permit tribulations to come upon them, that they may be purified or disbanded, for nothing is hidden from My sight, and I correct those I love."