Did the "Freemason" Cult ever attempt to infiltrate the Vatican? That is the Catholic Church.?

By this, I mean, did the Masons try to eradicate the Church from within? A friend of mine told me that this was true. It may have happened in the 1700's and the 1800's to be specific. It would not surprise me one bit, since the masons claim to be a Christian organization. And a Catholic Christian could never become a member of that cult.