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Papal ban of Freemasonry

December 13, 2023

The Catholic Church first prohibited Catholics from membership in Masonic organizations and other secret societies in 1738. Since then, at least eleven popes have made pronouncements about the incompatibility of Catholic doctrines and Freemasonry.[1] From 1738 until 1983, Catholics who publicly associated with, or publicly supported, Masonic organizations were censured with automatic excommunication.[2] Since 1983, the prohibition on membership exists in a different form.[3][4] Although there was some confusion about membership following the 1962-1965 Second Vatican Council (Vatican II), the Church continues to prohibit membership in Freemasonry because it believes that Masonic principles and rituals are irreconcilable with Catholic doctrines. The current norm, the 1983 Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith's (CDF) Declaration on Masonic associations, states that "faithful who enroll in Masonic associations are in a state of grave sin and may not receive Holy Communion" and membership in Masonic associations is prohibited.[6]

The most recent official Holy See documents about the "incompatibility of Freemasonry with the Catholic faith" were issued in 1985,[7] and in November 2023 by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.[8]

History edit

In eminenti apostolatus edit

 
1884 satirical political cartoon from Puck shows Pope Leo XIII at war with Freemasonry

In 1736, the Inquisition investigated a Masonic lodge in Florence, Italy, which it condemned in June 1737. The lodge had originally been founded in 1733 by the English Freemason Charles Sackville, 2nd Duke of Dorset,[9] but accepted Italian members, such as the lodge's secretary Tommaso Crudeli.[10][11] Also in 1736, on 26 December, Andrew Michael Ramsay delivered an oration to a masonic meeting in Paris on the eve of the election of Charles Radclyffe as Grand Master of the French Freemasons. In March 1737 he sent an edited copy to the chief minister, Cardinal André-Hercule de Fleury, seeking his approval for its delivery to an assembly of Freemasons, and his approval of the craft in general. Fleury's response was to brand the Freemasons as traitors, and ban their assemblies.[12] This ban, and the Italian investigation led,[13] in 1738, to Pope Clement XII promulgating In eminenti apostolatus, the first canonical prohibition of Masonic associations.

Clement XII wrote that the reasons for prohibiting masonic associations are that members, "content with [a] form of natural virtue, are associated with one another" by oaths with "grave penalties" "to conceal in inviolable silence whatever they secretly do together." These associations have aroused suspicions that "to join these associations is precisely synonymous with incurring the taint of evil and infamy, for if they were not involved in evil doing, they would never be so very averse to the light [of publicity]." "The rumor [of these doings] has so grown that" several governments have suppressed them "as being opposed to the welfare of the kingdom."[14] Clement XII wrote, that these kinds of associations are "not consistent with the provisions of either civil or canon law" since they harm both "the peace of the civil state" and "the spiritual salvation of souls."[15][b]

Quo graviora edit

Pope Leo XII attempted to assess the extent and influence of anti-social organizations.[20] He inserted and confirmed the texts of Clement XII (1738), Benedict XIV (1751), and Pius VII (1821) in his 1825 apostolic constitution Quo graviora, "to condemn them in such a way that it would be impossible to claim exemption from the condemnation".[21]

Reiteration of ban on membership by subsequent popes edit

 
Pope Leo XIII author of Humanum genus, which reiterated the inability of Catholics to become Freemasons

The ban in In eminenti apostolatus was reiterated and expanded upon by Benedict XIV (1751), Pius VII (1821), Leo XII (1825), Pius VIII (1829), Gregory XVI (1832), Pius IX (1846, 1849, 1864, 1865, 1869, 1873).[c]

Humanum genus edit

"The decisive impetus for the Catholic anti-Masonic movement" was Humanum genus, promulgated by Pope Leo XIII in 1884.[23] Leo XIII wrote that his primary objection to Masonry was naturalism,[24] his accusations were about pantheism, rationalism, and naturalism; but not about Satanism.[25][d] Leo XIII analysed continental Grand Orient type philosophical "principles and practices."[26] While naturalism was present everywhere in other types of lodges, "the subversive, revolutionary activity characteristic of the Grand Orient lodges of the continent" was not.[26] Leo XIII "emphasises that 'the ultimate and principle aim' of Masonry 'was to destroy to its very foundations any civil or religious order established throughout Christendom, and bring about in its place a new order founded on laws drawn out of the entrails of naturalism'."[27]

Praeclara gratulationis publicae edit

In Praeclara gratulationis publicae, Leo XIII namely stated about Freemasonry: "Although We have spoken on this subject in the strongest terms before, yet We are led by Our Apostolic watchfulness to urge it once more, and We repeat Our warning again and again, that in face of such an eminent peril, no precaution, howsoever great, can be looked upon as sufficient. May God in His Mercy bring to naught their impious designs; nevertheless, let all Christians know and understand that the shameful yoke of Freemasonry must be shaken off once and for all; and let them be the first to shake it off who are most galled by its oppression–the men of Italy and of France. With what weapons and by what method this may best be done We Ourselves have already pointed out: the victory cannot be doubtful to those who trust in that Leader Whose Divine Words still remain in all their force: I have overcome the world."[28]

1917 code of canon law edit

Under 1917 Code of Canon Law (1917 CIC), which was in effect from May 1918 to November 1983, Catholics associated with Masonry were: automatically, i.e. latae sententia, excommunicated (canon 2335),[29][30] deprived of marriage in the Catholic Church,[31] excluded from Catholic associations,[32] deprived of Catholic funeral rites,[33] invalidated from novitiate,[34] invalidated reception of personal jus patronatus,[35] with additional penalties against clergy, religious, and members of secular institutes.[36]

Under 1917 CIC, books which argue that "Masonic sects" and similar groups are "useful and not harmful to the Church and civil society" were prohibited.[37][38][e]

Uncertainty following the Second Vatican Council edit

The Catholic Church began an evaluation of its understanding of Masonry during[40] (but not at[f]) Vatican II.[g] Throughout the jubilee of 1966, Pope Paul VI granted every confessor the faculty to absolve censures and penalties of 1917 Code of Canon Law's canon 2335 incurred by penitents who completely separated themselves from Masonic association and promised to repair and prevent, as far as possible, any scandal and damage they caused.[46]

After a four-year investigation in five Scandinavian Bishops' Conference (CES) countries,[47] the CES decided in 1967 to apply the 1966 post-conciliar norms in De Episcoporum Muneribus,[48] "which empowers bishops in special cases to dispense from certain injunctions of Canon Law."[49][further explanation needed][h] The CES permitted, within its jurisdiction, converts to Catholicism to retain their Swedish Rite membership,[47] "but only with the specific permission of that person's bishop."[51]

In early 1968, The Tablet reported that Vatican sources had "been quoted as saying that Catholics are now free to join the Masons in the United States, Britain and most other countries of the world. However, the European Grand Orient Lodge of Masons, established primarily in Italy and France, is still considered anti-Catholic or, at least, atheistic," and that "the CDF 'let it be known that Catholics joining the Freemasons are no longer automatically excommunicated. The Church's new attitude has been in effect for more than a year.' The Church's Code of Canon Law drawn up in 1918 and shortly to be reformed, provided for automatic excommunication of Catholics 'who enroll in the Masonic sect or in secret societies conspiring against the Church or the legitimate authorities.' Vatican sources added that this wording would be changed to modify the Church's position when the new Code of Canon Law was completed."[40] These reports apparently caused consternation in the Vatican, and were quickly corrected.[52] The Holy See publicly said that 1917 CIC canon 2335 was not abrogated,[53] and denied it planned to "change profoundly" its historic prohibition against Catholics joining Masonic groups,[54] although confidential sources said "a change in attitude in the future was considered possible."[52][i]

Informal dialogues between Catholic Church and Masonic representatives took place after Vatican II in Austria, Italy and Germany. In Austria, Freemason Karl Baresch, representative of the Grand Lodge of Austria, informally met Cardinal Franz König, president of the Secretariat for Non-Believers, at Vienna in 1968. Later, a commission of Catholic Church and Masonic representatives conducted a dialogue and produced the 1970 Lichtenau Declaration [de], an interpretative statement directed at Paul VI; Cardinal Franjo Šeper, prefect of the CDF; and other Catholic authorities. It "contained serious faults in philosophical-theological and, above all, historical terms," according to Professor Zbigniew Suchecki, and "was never officially recognized by" the Catholic Church.[56]

In 1971, Bishop Daniel Pezeril, auxiliary bishop of Paris, accepted an invitation from the Grande Loge de France to lecture.[57] This was the first official reception of a Catholic bishop after 1738.[58]

While some speculated about post-conciliar revision of canon law and how norms would be legislated and enforced,[59] the canonical prohibition against Catholics joining Masonic groups remained in force in 1974.[60]

The Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales (CBCEW) stated in 1974 that consultations with the world's bishops failed to produce consensus about the Catholic Church's relationship with Masonry.[61] The CDF (1974) wrote that many bishops had asked it about how to weight and interpret 1917 CIC canon 2335. The divergent replies it gave reflected different situations in various countries. The CDF reiterated that 1917 CIC canons which establish a penalty are subject to strict interpretation,[62] so canon 2335 applied only to Catholics who were members of Masonic associations that machinate against the Church.[63] The CBCEW interpreted CDF 1974 as instructing bishops that 1917 CIC canon 2335 "no longer automatically bars a Catholic from membership of Masonic groups" since it is subject to strict interpretation, and that "a Catholic who joins the Freemasons is excommunicated only if the policy and actions of the Freemasons in his area are known to be hostile to the Church."[61] So, the CBCEW defined norms within its jurisdiction, that Catholics, who believed that membership in Masonic associations "does not conflict" with their "deeper loyalty" to their incorporation in the Catholic Church, should "discuss the implications of such membership" with their parish priest. Likewise, Catholics in Masonic associations were "urged to seek reconciliation."[61]

German Bishops' Conference edit

In 1980, after six years of dialogue with representatives of the United Grand Lodges of Germany and investigation of Masonic rituals,[discuss] the DBK produced a report on Freemasonry listing twelve conclusions.[64]

Among the DBK's conclusions were that Freemasonry denies revelation,[65] and objective truth.[66] They also alleged that religious indifference is fundamental to Freemasonry,[67] and that Freemasonry is Deist,[68] and that it denies the possibility of divine revelation,[69] so threatening the respect due to the Church's teaching office.[70] The sacramental character of Masonic rituals was seen as signifying an individual transformation,[71] offering an alternative path to perfection[72] and having a total claim on the life of a member[73] It concludes by stating that all lodges are forbidden to Catholics,[74] including Catholic-friendly lodges.[75][j]

Šeper's clarification edit

The 1981 CDF Declaration concerning status of Catholics becoming Freemasons said that the 1974 CDF reply had "given rise to erroneous and tendentious interpretations."[77] The 1981 CDF declaration also affirmed that the prohibition against Catholics joining Masonic groups had not changed and remained in effect.[78]

1983 code of canon law edit

The Catholic Church abrogated and replaced 1917 Code of Canon Law (1917 CIC), with present 1983 Code of Canon Law (1983 CIC) which took effect in November 1983. 1917 CIC canon 2335 developed into the 1983 CIC's canon 1374.[79] Unlike the abrogated 1917 CIC canon 2335,[29] however, 1983 CIC canon 1374 does not name any groups it condemns; it states:

A person who joins an association which plots against the Church is to be punished with a just penalty;[k] one who promotes or takes office in such an association is to be punished with an interdict.[84]

This omission led some Catholics and Freemasons, especially in America, to believe that the ban on Catholics becoming Freemasons might have changed,[l] and caused confusion in the church's hierarchy.[m] Many Catholics joined the fraternity, basing their membership on a permissive interpretation of Canon Law and justifying their membership by their belief that Freemasonry does not plot against the Church.[n]

The Catholic Church uses two parallel codes of canon law: the 1983 CIC in the Latin Church of the Catholic Church and the 1990 Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches (1990 CCEO) in the sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches of the Catholic Church. 1983 CIC canon 1374 and 1990 CCEO canon 1448 §2 are parallel canons.[88][o]1983 CIC canon 1374 differentiates between being a member of a forbidden association and being an officer or promoter but 1990 CCEO canon 1448 §2 does not.[88]

Declaration on Masonic Associations edit

 
Pope John Paul II, who personally approved the 1983 Declaration on Masonic Associations from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith

In 1983, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, with the personal approval of Pope John Paul II, issued a Declaration on Masonic Associations, which reiterated the Church's objections to Freemasonry.[91] The 1983 declaration states that "faithful who enroll in Masonic associations are in a state of grave sin and may not receive Holy Communion. ... the Church's negative judgment in regard to Masonic association(s) remains unchanged since their principles have always been considered irreconcilable with the doctrine of the Church and therefore membership in them remains forbidden.[91] CDF 1983 "stipulated that neither" CDF 1974 nor CDF 1981 "allowed an individual bishop or bishops' conferences to permit Catholics to belong to masonic lodges."[92]

Continued ban after the declaration edit

A USCCB committee concluded in its 1985 Letter to U.S. Bishops Concerning Masonry that "the principles and basic rituals of Masonry embody a naturalistic religion active participation in which is incompatible with Christian faith and practice."[93] "Those who knowingly embrace" masonic "principles are committing serious sin" and,[93] according to Law's parenthetical commentary on Whalen, that offense might be punishable under canon 1364.[86] According to that canon, an apostate, heretic, or schismatic incurs a latae sententiae excommunication and clerics can be punished with additional expiatory penalties including dismissal from the clerical state.[94] Caparros et al. elucidates that, in cases where "registration into an association entails apostasy, heresy, or schism" then the offense is punishable under canon 1364.[95] Nevertheless, citing CDF (1983), Caparros et al. states that "those masonic associations that would not be covered by" canon 1374 have "principles [which] are still seen to be incompatible with the doctrine of the Church."[95] Every delict in canon law is a sin.[96] The "distinction between penal law and morality" is, according to the USCCB committee, that not all sins are violations in canon law – so in a case where a sin is not also a violation or delict in canon law, it is a fallacy to conclude that "it is permissible to commit it."[97] "Referring specifically to the secrecy of masonic organisations," CDF 1985 "reiterated the ban on masonic membership" in CDF 1983.[92] According to McInvale (1992), the CDF (1985) "argues that Masonry establishes a relativistic symbolic concept of morality unacceptable to Catholicism."

In 1996, Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz, of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lincoln, legislated that Catholic members of masonic associations in the diocese, incur a latae sententiae censure of a one-month interdict during which they are forbidden to receive holy communion; those who continue membership incur a latae sententiae censure of excommunication.[98] Those excommunications which were challenged through a process of canonical recourse were affirmed by a judgment of the Holy See in 2006.[99]

In 2000, David Patterson, executive secretary of the Masonic Service Bureau of Los Angeles, asked Cardinal Roger Mahony "whether a practicing Catholic may join a Masonic Lodge." Father Thomas Anslow, Judicial Vicar of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, replied to Patterson that "the matter is too complex for a straightforward 'yes' or 'no' answer. But at least for Catholics in the United States, I believe the answer is probably yes."[100] Because he was "unaware of any ideology or practice by the local lodges that challenges or subverts the doctrine and interests of the Catholic Church," Anslow wrote that his "qualified response" is "probably yes." [100] Anslow publicly retracted his 2000 letter in 2002, with the explanation that his analysis was faulty.[101] He wrote that, according to the CDF (1985) reflection about the CDF (1983) declaration, "the system of symbols" used in Masonry can "foster a 'supraconfessional humanitarian'" conception of "the divine that neutralizes or replaces the faith dimension of our relationship with God."[102]

In 2002, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines decreed that:

  • a Catholic who is a "publicly known" Freemason – who "actively participates" or "promotes its views" or "holds any office" – and refuses to renounce his membership after being warned in accord with 1983 CIC canon 1347,[103] "is to be punished with an interdict," in accord with 1983 CIC canon 1374,[84] including: exclusion from receiving the sacraments;[104] prohibition against acting as a sponsor in Baptism and Confirmation; prohibition against being a member of any parish or diocesan structure; and denial of Catholic funeral rites, unless some signs of repentance before death were shown, regardless, to avoid public scandal in a case where a bishop allows funeral rites, Masonic services are prohibited in the church and prohibited immediately before or after the Catholic funeral rites at the cemetery.[105][106]
  • a Catholic who is a Freemason, "notoriously adhering to the Masonic vision," is automatically excommunicated under canon 1364 and is automatically censured in accord with 1983 CIC canon 1331[107][108][94]
  • a Freemason is prohibited from acting a witness to marriage in the Catholic Church, and prohibited from being a member of any associations of the faithful[109]

The Masonic Information Center pointed out in 2006 that CDF 1983, which prohibits membership in Masonic associations, "remains in effect."[110]

Bishop Gianfranco Girotti, regent of the Apostolic Penitentiary, told the 2007 Freemasonry and the Catholic Church conference, at the Pontifical Theological Faculty of St. Bonaventure in Rome, that doctrine has not changed.[111] Girotti, quoting the CDF 1983 declaration, reiterated that masonic philosophy is incompatible with Catholic faith.[112] Likewise, reacting to the news of an 85-year-old Catholic priest, Rosario Francesco Esposito, becoming a member in a Masonic lodge,[113] Girotti told Vatican Radio in May 2007 that the CDF 1983 declaration "remains in force today."[114] Girotti called on priests who had declared themselves to be Freemasons to be disciplined by their direct superiors.[115]

In 2013, a Catholic priest at Megève, France, was "stripped of his functions at the request of the" CDF for being an active member of the Grand Orient de France.[116]

In 2023, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith reiterated that Catholics are forbidden from joining Freemasonry, quoting the 1983 Ratzinger document. The decision was signed by Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, prefect for the Dicastery, and approved by Pope Francis.[117]

Current position of the Church on Catholics joining the Fraternity edit

The Catholic Church's current norm on Masonic associations is the 1983 CDF Declaration on Masonic associations.[91][p] The 1983 CDF declaration states that Catholics "who enroll in Masonic associations are in a state of grave sin and may not receive Holy Communion."[6]

The 1983 CDF declaration clarified the omission of association names in 1983 Code of Canon Law (1983 CIC) by stating that the "editorial criterion which was followed" did not mention association names since "they are contained in wider categories."[91] 1983 CIC canon 1374 states that a Catholic "who joins an association which plots against the Church is to be punished with a just penalty; one who promotes or takes office in such an association is to be punished with an interdict."[84] This contrasted with the 1917 Code of Canon Law (1917 CIC), which explicitly declared that joining Freemasonry entailed automatic excommunication. The omission of association names, like Masonic associations, from the 1983 CIC prompted Catholics and Masons to question whether the ban on Catholics becoming Freemasons was still active, especially after the perceived liberalization of the Church after Vatican II.

A number of Catholics became Freemasons assuming that the Church had softened its stance.[q] The 1983 CDF declaration addressed this misinterpretation of the Code of Canon Law, clarifying that:

...the Church's negative judgment in regard to Masonic association remains unchanged since their principles have always been considered irreconcilable with the doctrine of the Church and therefore membership in them remains forbidden.[91]

The "irreconcilable principles" that the Church believes Freemasonry possesses include a "deistic God",[r] naturalism,[86] and religious indifferentism.[s]

Near the time that the 1983 CDF declaration was released, bishops' conferences in Germany and America also released independent reports on the question of Freemasonry. The conclusions of the German Bishops' Conference (DBK) in its 1980 report on Masonry and cited by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) in its 1985 letter included that "research on the ritual and on the Masonic mentality makes it clear that it is impossible to belong to the Catholic Church and to Freemasonry at the same time."[120]

Some of the doctrines are incorporated into Catholic social teaching which are, in the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, to appreciate democratic political systems which are accountable to the governed and to "reject all secret organizations that seek to influence or subvert the functioning of legitimate institutions."[121]

According to Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture, DBK (1980) and CBCP (2010) "are significant texts as they address the theoretical and practical reasons for the irreconcilability of masonry and Catholicism as concepts of truth,[t] religion,[u] God, man and the world, spirituality, ethics, rituality and tolerance."[128]

Freemasonry's position on Catholics joining the Fraternity edit

Masonic bodies do not ban Catholics from joining if they wish to do so.[129] There has never been a Masonic prohibition against Catholics joining the fraternity, and some Freemasons are Catholics, despite the Catholic Church's prohibition of joining the freemasons.[130]

Catholic fraternal societies edit

Freemasonry was an important catalyst in the founding of the Knights of Columbus and the Knights of Peter Claver in the United States[131] and the Knights of the Southern Cross in Australia, because one of the attractions of Freemasonry was that it provided a number of social services unavailable to non-members (e.g., devout Catholics).[132]

Michael McGivney, a Catholic priest in New Haven, Connecticut, wished to provide Catholic men with a Catholic fraternal organization, an alternative to Freemasonry with the attractiveness of selected membership and secret initiation, but neither oath-bound nor secret.[133] Thus he founded the Knights of Columbus, believing that Catholicism and fraternalism were not incompatible and wished to found a society that would encourage men to be proud of their American Catholic heritage.[134] McGivney was beatified by Pope Francis in 2020.

The KoC, though accepting African-American members early on in its history, soon came to identify in many of its councils with segregationist and anti-black viewpoints, leading to the denial of membership to many prospective black candidates. As a result, the Josephites founded the Knights of Peter Claver in 1909, which as of 2021 is the largest and oldest Black Catholic organization in America.[135]

See also edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ The offense suspicion of heresy was a distinct offense from being suspected of the offense of heresy.[17] The offense suspicion of heresy is not found in the 1983 CIC.[18]
  2. ^ Clement XII had "condemned and prohibited" a category of groups, whether or not they are called Freemasons.[15] He instructed local ordinaries and inquisitors to investigate and punish transgressors "with suitable penalties as being gravely suspect of heresy."[16][a] In context, the condemnation and prohibition by Clement XII (1738) and Cardinal Giuseppe Firrao [fr; it], secretary of state, in 1739 are, according to Benimeli (2014, pp. 139–140), "nothing more than further links in the long chain of measures adopted by European authorities throughout the eighteenth century." According to Benimeli, Clement XII and Benedict XIV only added a religious reason – of suspicion of heresy – to the civil reason – of subversive activity – enacted by 18th century Catholic, Protestant, and Islamic governments against masonic associations.[19] Firrao decreed that masonic meetings were "a danger to public peace and order" within the Papal States and were also suspected of heresy.[19]
  3. ^ Four papal documents – of Clement XII (1738), Benedict XIV (1751), Pius VII (1821), and Leo XII (1825) – "comprise virtually all of the legislation" about condemned secret associations before the 1917 CIC.[22] Later papal documents relating to Freemasonry restated these four documents and various Roman congregations interpreted the law contained in them.[22] Of those four documents, only excerpts from Clement XII 1738 are included in DH (2012, nn. 2511–2513).
  4. ^ Masons were not characterized "as self-consciously venerating the devil" by Catholic writers prior to Léo Taxil, the perpetrator of an anti-Masonic hoax.[25]
  5. ^ The Index of prohibited books was abolished in 1965 and that function of CDF was replaced with other norms. The "right and the duty to examine and also to prevent the publication of" works as well as the rebuke and admonition of authors was devolved to episcopal conferences and individual ordinaries. In 1966, the CDF notified that although the Index "no longer has the force of ecclesiastical law with the attached censure," it "remains morally binding, in light of the demands of natural law, in so far as it admonishes the conscience of Christians to be on guard for those writings that can endanger faith and morals." The Holy See reserved use of "its right and duty to issue reprimands about these writings, even publicly."[39]
  6. ^ Bishop Sergio Méndez Arceo, of Cuernavaca, Mexico, asked Vatican II to discuss secret societies and Masonic associations.[41] Arceo and others proposed that not all Masonry machinated against the Catholic Church.[42]
  7. ^ Vatican II reversed a thousand years of legal history of the Latin Church.[43] The Vatican II dogmatic constitution on the Church, Lumen gentium (LG ), and the Vatican II decree on the pastoral office of bishops, Christus Dominus (CD ), explain that the scope of a diocesan bishop's power is ordinary, proper, and immediate; and is limited and regulated "though the supreme authority of the Church" in the form of canon law or papal decree.[44] Because of this, significant changes in practice were then legislated to implement Vatican II. The norms in Paul VI 1966b implemented concessions prescribed in CD, n. 8.[45] See commentaries in McIntyre (2000, pp. 128, 130) and Renken (2000a, p. 503).
  8. ^ The CES based their decision "on the claim that Scandinavian Masonry was fundamentally different from American and European Masonry," that it was Christian, and that Swedish Rite masonry was not anticlerical or atheistic.[47] According to the CES secretary, Bishop John Willem Gran, of Oslo, the CES had not received any comments from the Holy See about their 1967 decision.[49][further explanation needed] Likewise, Gran (1968) contradicted misrepresentations of fact in a Tablet (1968d) paragraph, which Gran attributed to a widely repeated Le Monde article, and corrected that the CDF did not privately reply to a CES bishop that "it was 'possible but not advisable' for a Catholic to join."[50]
  9. ^ The confusion did not end there, for example, during the 20 years after Vatican II, the British press "regularly reported, with amazement," about a pending rapprochement which contrasted with a Catholic toughening after the 1981 Propaganda Due (P2) clandestine lodge scandal and revelations of its machination against the state.[55]
  10. ^ The DBK noted that German Protestant churches were also suspicious of Freemasonry.[76]
  11. ^ See canon 1349,[80] a just penalty is an indeterminate penalty which allows the exercise of discretion in imposition of penalties based on the circumstances of individual cases.[81] According to canon lawyer Edward N. Peters, the term just penalty "means that a penalty (e.g., [...] interdict, excommunication) can be tailored to fit the crime."[82] Canon lawyer Cathy Caridi wrote that CDF (1983) "provides a theological interpretation of canon 1374."[83] Caridi commented that, according to CDF (1983), "a diocesan bishop or chancery official cannot grant permission in a particular case for a member of the diocese to become a Mason."
  12. ^ "Some [Freemasons] and some Catholics believe," according to Reid McInvale, that since Vatican II "the attitude of the church has been to regard Freemasonry as an acceptable sphere for fraternal interaction."[85]
  13. ^ Bernard Law wrote that "many bishops" replied "to an earlier survey that confusion had been generated by a perceived change of approach by the" CDF.[86]
  14. ^ "In good faith many of these men had asked their pastors and/or bishops for permission to join the Lodge. Some converts were received into the Church during these years and were not asked to relinquish their Masonic affiliation."[87]
  15. ^ All censures in 1990 CCEO are imposed judicially or administratively;[89] it does not include any automatic latae sententia censures.[90]
  16. ^ The CDF 1983 declaration is a simple declaration which must be interpreted in the context of other existing legislation.[118] It reiterated CDF (1981a) which clarified the Church's doctrine that the historic prohibition against Catholics joining Masonic groups remained.
  17. ^ According to Whalen (1985), from 1974 to after 1981, "an undetermined number of Catholic men joined the Lodge, and many presently maintain membership. Articles in the Catholic press ' told readers that under certain circumstances a Masonic membership was allowed. The general public, Catholic and non-Catholic, assumed the Church had softened its stand against membership in Freemasonry."
  18. ^ "The nature of the Masonic God is best seen in their favorite title for him: the Supreme Architect. The Masonic God is first of all a deistic God, who is found at the top of the ladder of Masonic wisdom",[119]
  19. ^ According to Law (1985), DBK (1980) and Whalen (1985) "confirm that the principles and basic rituals of Masonry embody a naturalistic religion active participation in which is incompatible with Christian faith and practice."
  20. ^ Masonry is opposed to the concept of supernatural truth.[2]
  21. ^ For example, Whalen (1985) wrote that "whatever constitutes 'that religion in which all men agree', it is not Christianity or revealed religion." Masonic studies is a field in the academic study of new religious movements.[122] Speculative masonry does not fit categories in the church-sect-cult typology of religious movements.[123] Masonry asserts that it is a fraternal organization and neither a religion nor a substitute for religion,[124] others assert that it exhibits the features of a religion,[125] some assert that it is a religion.[126] In contrast, some assert that it is impossible to conclude "that Freemasonry is religious."[127]

References edit

  1. ^ CBCP 2010, p. 9.
  2. ^ a b Gruber 1910.
  3. ^ Saunders, William (2005). "What are the Masons?". catholiceducation.org. Catholic Education Resource Center. from the original on 2014-10-28. Reprint of "Catholics and Freemasonry". Arlington Catholic Herald. Arlington, VA: Diocese of Arlington. 2005-09-22. ISSN 0361-3712.
  4. ^ Whalen, William J. (1996). "Papal condemnations of the Lodge". ewtn.com. Irondale, AL: Eternal Word Television Network. from the original on 1999-11-05. From Whalen, William J. (1958). Christianity and American Freemasonry. Milwaukee, WI: Bruce. OCLC 630774062.
  5. ^ Benimeli 2014, p. 150.
  6. ^ a b CDF 1983; see CDF 1985: "membership objectively constitutes a grave sin;" see Law 1985: "Those who knowingly embrace such principles are committing serious sin." Which "implies in all cases an act of free will and being conscious of committing an intrinsically evil action."[5]
  7. ^ CDF 1985, cited in Levada (2011).
  8. ^ "The Request of His Excellency, the Most Rev. Julito Cortes, Bishop of Dumaguete (Philippines) Regarding the Best Pastoral Approach to Membership in Freemasonry by the Catholic Faithful (13 November 2023)" (PDF). Vatican.va.
  9. ^ Mackey's Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, cited in Madison, Dryfoos & Timeline
  10. ^ Ridley, Jasper (2001). The Freemasons: A history of the world's most powerful secret society (1st U.S. ed.). New York: Arcade. pp. 51, 53. ISBN 9781559706018.
  11. ^ "Tommaso Crudeli". freemasonry.bcy.ca. Vancouver: Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon A.F. & A.M. from the original on 2003-07-07. From Cerza, Alphonse (1967). The truth is stranger than fiction. Washington, DC: Masonic Service Association. OCLC 2964387.
  12. ^ Bernheim, Alain (2011). Ramsay et ses deux discours (in French). Paris: Télètes. pp. 17–19. ISBN 9782906031746.
  13. ^ Carr's, The Freemason at Work, cited in Madison, Dryfoos & Timeline
  14. ^ Clement XII 1738, §1 (DH 2012, n. 2511).
  15. ^ a b Clement XII 1738, §2 (DH 2012, n. 2512).
  16. ^ Clement XII 1738, §4 (DH 2012, n. 2513).
  17. ^ Peters 2015. See CIC 1917, n. 2315, translated in Peters (2001, p. 736); see commentaries in Bachofen (1922, pp. 284–287) and Woywod (1948b, n. 2159 at pp. 512–513).
  18. ^ Peters 2015.
  19. ^ a b Benimeli 2014, pp. 139–140.
  20. ^ Quigley 1927, p. 16.
  21. ^ Leo XII 1825; Quigley 1927, p. 16.
  22. ^ a b Quigley 1926, p. 60, cited in Macdonald (1946, pp. 25–26).
  23. ^ Luijk 2016, p. 237.
  24. ^ Leo XIII 1884, nn. 10, 12–13, 17–21; Whalen 1985.
  25. ^ a b Luijk 2016, p. 240.
  26. ^ a b Macdonald 1946, p. 97.
  27. ^ Leo XIII 1884, 10, quoted in Benimeli (2014, p. 143).
  28. ^ "Praeclara Gratulationis Publicae". Papal Encyclicals. 1894-06-20. Retrieved 2021-06-13.
  29. ^ a b CIC 1917, c. 2335, translated in Peters (2001, p. 740); see commentaries in Bachofen (1922, pp. 339–346), Benimeli (2014, pp. 143–144), and Woywod (1948b, pp. 530–532); developed into 1983 CIC canon 1374.
  30. ^ Bouscaren, Ellis & Korth 1963, c. 2335 at p. 924, quoted in freemasonry.bcy.ca (2001).
  31. ^ CIC 1917, c. 1065 §1, translated in Peters (2001, p. 367); see commentaries in Bachofen (1918, pp. 154–157) and Woywod (1948a, pp. 706–707); was developed into 1983 CIC canon 1071 §1 4°.
  32. ^ CIC 1917, cc. 693 §1, 696 §2, translated in Peters (2001, pp. 262–263); see commentaries in Bachofen (1919, pp. 435, 437) and Woywod (1948a, pp. 345–347); parts of cc. 693 §1 and 696 §2 were developed into parts of 1983 CIC canons 308 and 316.
  33. ^ CIC 1917, c. 1240 §1 1°, translated in Peters (2001, p. 421); see commentaries in Bachofen (1921, pp. 152–158) and Woywod (1948a, p. 52); was developed into 1983 CIC canon 1184.
  34. ^ CIC 1917, c. 542 1°, translated in Peters (2001, pp. 210–211); see commentaries in Bachofen (1919, pp. 205–214) and Woywod (1948a, p. 243); was incorporated into 1983 CIC canon 597 §1.
  35. ^ CIC 1917, c. 1453, translated in Peters (2001, p. 488); see commentaries in Bachofen (1921, p. 527) and Woywod (1948b, pp. 177–178); was not developed into a 1983 CIC canon.
  36. ^ CIC 1917, cc. 501 §2, 2336, translated in Peters (2001, pp. 195, 740–741); see commentaries in Bachofen (1918, pp. 103, 110–111, 346–347) and Woywod (1948b, pp. 501, 532); c. 501 §2 was developed into 1983 CIC canon 596.
  37. ^ CIC 1917, c. 1399 8°, translated in Peters (2001, p. 471); see commentaries in Bachofen (1921, pp. 467, 473–474) and Woywod (1948b, p. 151); was not developed into a 1983 CIC canon.
  38. ^ Bouscaren, Ellis & Korth 1963, c. 1399 §8, quoted in freemasonry.bcy.ca (2001).
  39. ^ CDF 1966.
  40. ^ a b Tablet 1968a.
  41. ^ Benimeli 2014, p. 144.
  42. ^ Calderwood 2013, p. 133.
  43. ^ McIntyre 2000, p. 127.
  44. ^ Vatican II & LG, n. 27 (DH 2012, n. 4152); Vatican II & CD, n. 8; McIntyre 2000, p. 127; Renken 2000b, pp. 519–520.
  45. ^ Paul VI 1966c, n. 6.
  46. ^ Paul VI 1965; Paul VI 1966a; Tablet 1968a.
  47. ^ a b c Gran 1968; Tablet 1968c.
  48. ^ Paul VI 1966b, cited in Gran (1968).
  49. ^ a b Gran 1968.
  50. ^ Tablet (1968d), quoted in Gran (1968).
  51. ^ Tablet 1968c.
  52. ^ a b Tablet 1968b.
  53. ^ Tablet 1968a; Tablet 1968b.
  54. ^ Tablet 1968a, quoted in Tablet (1968b).
  55. ^ Calderwood 2013, pp. 133–134.
  56. ^ Suchecki 2007.
  57. ^ Tablet 1971; Benimeli 2014.
  58. ^ Tablet 1971.
  59. ^ Tablet 1973.
  60. ^ CDF 1974.
  61. ^ a b c Tablet 1974.
  62. ^ CDF 1974; Tablet 1974. See CIC 1917, nn. 19, 49–50, translated in Peters (2001, pp. 36, 44); see commentaries in Bachofen (1918, pp. 98–99, 137–139) and Woywod (1948a, pp. 14, 35).
  63. ^ CDF 1974; Whalen 1985.
  64. ^ DBK 1980.
  65. ^ DBK 1980, n. 1, as translated in Jenkins (1996), quoted in Gantley (2006a); see CBCP (2010, n. 37 at p. 19).
  66. ^ DBK 1980, n. 2, as translated in Jenkins (1996), quoted in Gantley (2006a).
  67. ^ DBK 1980, n. 3, as translated in Jenkins (1996), quoted in Gantley (2006a).
  68. ^ DBK 1980, n. 4 as translated in Jenkins (1996), quoted in Gantley (2006a).
  69. ^ DBK 1980, n. 5 as translated in Jenkins (1996), quoted in Gantley (2006a).
  70. ^ DBK 1980, n. 6, as translated in Jenkins (1996), quoted in Gantley (2006a).
  71. ^ DBK 1980, n. 7, as translated in Jenkins (1996), quoted in Gantley (2006a); see CBCP (2010, n. 45 at p. 23).
  72. ^ DBK 1980, n. 8, as translated in Jenkins (1996), quoted in Gantley (2006a).
  73. ^ DBK 1980, n. 9, as translated in Jenkins (1996), quoted in Gantley (2006a).
  74. ^ DBK 1980, n. 10, as translated in Jenkins (1996), quoted in Gantley (2006a).
  75. ^ DBK 1980, n. 11, as translated in Jenkins (1996), quoted in Gantley (2006a).
  76. ^ DBK 1980, n. 12, as translated in Jenkins (1996), quoted in Gantley (2006a); see CBCP (2010, n. 47 at p. 24).
  77. ^ CDF 1974; CDF 1981a.
  78. ^ CDF 1981a.
  79. ^ Peters 2001, p. 740.
  80. ^ CIC 1983, c. 1349.
  81. ^ Green 2000b, p. 1563–1564.
  82. ^ Peters 2005.
  83. ^ Caridi 2008.
  84. ^ a b c CIC 1983, c. 1374.
  85. ^ McInvale 1992.
  86. ^ a b c Law 1985.
  87. ^ Whalen 1985.
  88. ^ a b Green 2000c, p. 1583.
  89. ^ CCEO 1990, c. 1402, cited in Faris (2000, p. 41).
  90. ^ Faris 2000, p. 41.
  91. ^ a b c d e CDF 1983.
  92. ^ a b Tablet 1985.
  93. ^ a b Whalen 1985, quoted in Law (1985).
  94. ^ a b CIC 1983, c. 1364.
  95. ^ a b Caparros et al. 1993, c. 1374 at pp. 1070–1071.
  96. ^ Green 2000a, p. 1529.
  97. ^ Whalen 1985, quoted in Law (1985); see Green (2000a, p. 1529).
  98. ^ Bruskewitz 1996; Besse 2007.
  99. ^ McFeely 2006; Besse 2007.
  100. ^ a b Anslow 2000.
  101. ^ Anslow 2002.
  102. ^ CDF 1985, quoted in Anslow (2002).
  103. ^ CIC 1983, c. 1347.
  104. ^ CIC 1983, c. 1332.
  105. ^ CBCP 2002, n. 1.
  106. ^ CIC 1983, c. 1184.
  107. ^ CBCP 2002, n. 2.
  108. ^ CIC 1983, c. 1331.
  109. ^ CBCP 2002, n. 3.
  110. ^ Masonic Information Center 2006.
  111. ^ Suchecki 2007; Zenit 2007, quoted in Besse (2007).
  112. ^ Zenit 2007, cited in Besse (2007).
  113. ^ "Italian priest joins Masons". catholicculture.org. Manassas, VA: Trinity Communications. 2007-02-19. from the original on 2011-05-01.
  114. ^ Catholic World News 2007.
  115. ^ Zenit 2007.
  116. ^ Agence France-Presse 2013.
  117. ^ "Vatican confirms Catholics still forbidden to join Masonic lodges". Vatican News. 15 November 2023.
  118. ^ Morrissey 2003.
  119. ^ Jolicoeur & Knowles 1978, pp. 14–15, quoted in Whalen (1985), in Law (1985).
  120. ^ Law 1985; Gantley 2006b.
  121. ^ PCJP & CSDC, n. 567, see Vatican II & GS, n. 74.
  122. ^ Lewis & Tøllefsen 2016a, pp. 2–3.
  123. ^ Taves & Kinsella 2014, p. 87.
  124. ^ Masonic Information Center 1998; Stemper & Beck 2005, pp. 2193–2194; California Court of Appeal 2007, pdf p. 8.
  125. ^ Whalen 1967, p. 137; California Court of Appeal 2007, pdf pp. 11–12.
  126. ^ Calderwood 2013, pp. 130–131, 159.
  127. ^ Stemper & Beck 2005, p. 3197.
  128. ^ Ravasi translated by Romana 2016.
  129. ^ UGLE 2002.
  130. ^ Morris, S. Brent (2006). "Religious concerns about Freemasonry". The complete idiot's guide to Freemasonry. New York: Alpha Books. p. 207. ISBN 9781592574902.
  131. ^ The organization was also intended to provide an alternative for Catholics to membership in a Masonic lodge History of the Knights, Somerville Council # 1432
  132. ^ American Catholics found themselves unable to participate in the many fraternal organizations that offered insurance benefits because the Church had condemned so-called "secret societies." A New Haven, Conn., parish priest, Michael J. McGivney, organized the Knights of Columbus as an alternative to proscribed organizations., Many Fraternal Groups Grew From Masonic Seed (Part 2 -- 1860-1920) 2006-02-09 at the Wayback Machine, by Barbara Franco, The Northern Lights, November 1985
  133. ^ Egan & Kennedy 1920, p. 52 quoted in Mackey, Albert G.; Hughan, William J.; Hawkins, Edward L., eds. (n.d.). "Knights of Columbus". An encyclopedia of freemasonry and its kindred sciences (Online phoenixmasonry.org ed. based on 1921 new and rev. print ed.). Phoenixmasonry.
  134. ^ Kaufman 1992, p. 17.
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  • Scottish Rite Cathedral Assn. of Los Angeles v. City of Los Angeles, 67 Cal. Rptr. 3d 207 (Cal. App. 4th 2007) ("In light of the Masonic practices and principles [...] we see no principled way to distinguish [...] pursuit of these [Masonic] principles, [...] and [...] forms of religious worship, from more widely acknowledged modes of religious exercise. [In fn.:] Although Freemasonry does not identify itself as a religion [...] it plainly fosters principles and practices that resemble religious exercise under [two tests used to determine qualification as a religion].").
  • Stemper, William H. Jr.; Beck, Guy L. (2005). "Freemasons". In Jones, Lindsay (ed.). Encyclopedia of religion. Vol. 5 (2nd ed.). Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA. pp. 3193–3199. ISBN 9780028657332 – via Gale Virtual Reference Library.
  • Suchecki, Zbigniew (August–September 2007). "Is Freemasonry incompatible with the Catholic faith?". Inside the Vatican (Interview). Interviewed by Redzioch, Wlodzimierz. New Hope, KY: Urbi et Orbi Communications. pp. 44–45. ISSN 1068-8579. from the original on 2014-03-30. Retrieved 2016-07-10 – via catholicculture.org.
  • Taves, Ann; Kinsella, Michael (2014) [2013]. "Hiding in plain sight: the organizational forms of 'unorganized religion' ". In Sutcliffe, Steven J.; Gilhus, Ingvild Sælid (eds.). New Age spirituality: rethinking religion. London: Routledge. ISBN 9781317546245.
  • Vatican II (1964-11-21). Lumen gentium. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  •  ———  (1965-10-28). Christus Dominus. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  •  ———  (1965-12-07). Gaudium et spes. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  • Whalen, William J. (1967). "Freemasonry". In McDonald, William J. (ed.). New Catholic encyclopedia. Vol. 6 (1st ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill. pp. 132–139. OCLC 174793343. (The 2nd edition, published in 2002, does not contain a Freemasonry article.)
  • Whalen, William A. (1985-06-27). The pastoral problem of masonic membership (Report commissioned by the Pastoral Research and Practices Committee of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops). CNS Documentary Service. from the original on 2016-07-09 – via catholicculture.org.
  • Woywod, Stanislaus (1948a) [1943]. Smith, Callistus (ed.). A practical commentary on the Code of canon law. Vol. 1 (Rev. and enl. ed.). New York: J. F. Wagner. hdl:2027/mdp.35112104152493. OCLC 746242376.
  •  ———  (1948b) [1943]. Smith, Callistus (ed.). A practical commentary on the Code of canon law. Vol. 2 (Rev. and enl. ed.). New York: J. F. Wagner. hdl:2027/mdp.35112104152501. OCLC 746242376.
  • "Ban on Freemasonry reconfirmed". The Tablet. London. 1983-12-10. pp. 1210–1211. ISSN 0039-8837. from the original on 2016-07-22. Retrieved 2016-07-22.
  • "Ban on Masons reaffirmed". The Tablet. London. 1985-03-09. p. 251. ISSN 0039-8837. from the original on 2015-10-04. Retrieved 2016-07-14.
  • "Bishop at Masonic Lodge". The Tablet. London. 1971-07-17. p. 705. ISSN 0039-8837. from the original on 2016-09-09. Retrieved 2016-09-09.
  • "Canon Law regarding Freemasonry, 1917–1983". freemasonry.bcy.ca. Vancouver: Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon A.F. & A.M. 2001-03-16. from the original on 2002-01-05. Retrieved 2006-04-09.
  • "Change on Masonry denied". The Tablet. London. 1968-03-23. p. 291. ISSN 0039-8837. from the original on 2015-09-11. Retrieved 2016-09-08.
  • "Clarification concerning status of Catholics becoming Freemasons". ewtn.com. Irondale, AL: Eternal Word Television Network. from the original on 1999-11-28. Retrieved 2011-10-16.
  • "Clarification on Masons". The Tablet. London. 1968-05-18. p. 509. ISSN 0039-8837. from the original on 2015-09-11. Retrieved 2016-09-06.
  • "English Catholics and Freemasonry". The Tablet. London. 1974-11-23. p. 1149. ISSN 0039-8837. from the original on 2016-09-06. Retrieved 2016-09-06.
  • . ugle.org.uk. London: United Grand Lodge of England. 2002. Archived from the original on 2004-01-28.
  • "French priest defrocked after refusing to forsake Freemasonry". france24.com. Paris: France 24. Agence France-Presse. 2013-05-25. from the original on 2013-05-25. Retrieved 2016-07-17.
  • "Go-ahead for Catholic Masons". The Tablet. London. 1968-03-16. p. 267. ISSN 0039-8837. from the original on 2016-09-06. Retrieved 2016-09-06.
  • "Masonic lodge membership is gravely sinful, Vatican official says". catholicculture.org. Manassas, VA: Trinity Communications. Catholic World News. 2007-03-05. from the original on 2011-06-10.
  • "Masons & Communists". The Tablet. London. 1973-12-15. p. 1210. ISSN 0039-8837. from the original on 2016-09-08. Retrieved 2016-09-08.
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  • . zenit.org. New York: Innovative Media. Zenit News Agency. 2007-03-02. Archived from the original on 2007-03-06.
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  • "The Masons and the Church". The Tablet. London. 1968-03-30. p. 322. ISSN 0039-8837. from the original on 2015-09-12. Retrieved 2016-09-08.

Further reading edit

  • Condon, Edward F. (2015). Heresy by association: the canonical prohibition of Freemasonry in history and in the current law (J.C.D. thesis). Washington, DC: Catholic University of America. hdl:1961/cuislandora:28291.
  • Gray, David (2020). The Catholic Catechism on Freemasonry: A Theological and Historical Treatment on the Catholic Church's Prohibition Against Freemasonry and its Appendant Masonic Bodies. Belleville, Illinois: Saint Dominic's Media, Inc. p. 298. ISBN 978-0-578-64213-0.
  • Fassino, Nico (2023-05-23). "When Catholics could be Masons(?)". The Pillar. Retrieved 2023-11-18.

December 13, 2023
papal, freemasonry, catholic, church, first, prohibited, catholics, from, membership, masonic, organizations, other, secret, societies, 1738, since, then, least, eleven, popes, have, made, pronouncements, about, incompatibility, catholic, doctrines, freemasonr. The Catholic Church first prohibited Catholics from membership in Masonic organizations and other secret societies in 1738 Since then at least eleven popes have made pronouncements about the incompatibility of Catholic doctrines and Freemasonry 1 From 1738 until 1983 Catholics who publicly associated with or publicly supported Masonic organizations were censured with automatic excommunication 2 Since 1983 the prohibition on membership exists in a different form 3 4 Although there was some confusion about membership following the 1962 1965 Second Vatican Council Vatican II the Church continues to prohibit membership in Freemasonry because it believes that Masonic principles and rituals are irreconcilable with Catholic doctrines The current norm the 1983 Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith s CDF Declaration on Masonic associations states that faithful who enroll in Masonic associations are in a state of grave sin and may not receive Holy Communion and membership in Masonic associations is prohibited 6 The most recent official Holy See documents about the incompatibility of Freemasonry with the Catholic faith were issued in 1985 7 and in November 2023 by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith 8 Contents 1 History 1 1 In eminenti apostolatus 1 2 Quo graviora 1 3 Reiteration of ban on membership by subsequent popes 1 4 Humanum genus 1 5 Praeclara gratulationis publicae 1 6 1917 code of canon law 1 6 1 Uncertainty following the Second Vatican Council 1 6 2 German Bishops Conference 1 6 3 Seper s clarification 1 7 1983 code of canon law 1 7 1 Declaration on Masonic Associations 1 7 2 Continued ban after the declaration 2 Current position of the Church on Catholics joining the Fraternity 3 Freemasonry s position on Catholics joining the Fraternity 4 Catholic fraternal societies 5 See also 6 Notes 7 References 8 Further readingHistory editIn eminenti apostolatus edit nbsp 1884 satirical political cartoon from Puck shows Pope Leo XIII at war with FreemasonryIn 1736 the Inquisition investigated a Masonic lodge in Florence Italy which it condemned in June 1737 The lodge had originally been founded in 1733 by the English Freemason Charles Sackville 2nd Duke of Dorset 9 but accepted Italian members such as the lodge s secretary Tommaso Crudeli 10 11 Also in 1736 on 26 December Andrew Michael Ramsay delivered an oration to a masonic meeting in Paris on the eve of the election of Charles Radclyffe as Grand Master of the French Freemasons In March 1737 he sent an edited copy to the chief minister Cardinal Andre Hercule de Fleury seeking his approval for its delivery to an assembly of Freemasons and his approval of the craft in general Fleury s response was to brand the Freemasons as traitors and ban their assemblies 12 This ban and the Italian investigation led 13 in 1738 to Pope Clement XII promulgating In eminenti apostolatus the first canonical prohibition of Masonic associations Clement XII wrote that the reasons for prohibiting masonic associations are that members content with a form of natural virtue are associated with one another by oaths with grave penalties to conceal in inviolable silence whatever they secretly do together These associations have aroused suspicions that to join these associations is precisely synonymous with incurring the taint of evil and infamy for if they were not involved in evil doing they would never be so very averse to the light of publicity The rumor of these doings has so grown that several governments have suppressed them as being opposed to the welfare of the kingdom 14 Clement XII wrote that these kinds of associations are not consistent with the provisions of either civil or canon law since they harm both the peace of the civil state and the spiritual salvation of souls 15 b Quo graviora edit Pope Leo XII attempted to assess the extent and influence of anti social organizations 20 He inserted and confirmed the texts of Clement XII 1738 Benedict XIV 1751 and Pius VII 1821 in his 1825 apostolic constitution Quo graviora to condemn them in such a way that it would be impossible to claim exemption from the condemnation 21 Reiteration of ban on membership by subsequent popes edit nbsp Pope Leo XIII author of Humanum genus which reiterated the inability of Catholics to become FreemasonsThe ban in In eminenti apostolatus was reiterated and expanded upon by Benedict XIV 1751 Pius VII 1821 Leo XII 1825 Pius VIII 1829 Gregory XVI 1832 Pius IX 1846 1849 1864 1865 1869 1873 c Humanum genus edit The decisive impetus for the Catholic anti Masonic movement was Humanum genus promulgated by Pope Leo XIII in 1884 23 Leo XIII wrote that his primary objection to Masonry was naturalism 24 his accusations were about pantheism rationalism and naturalism but not about Satanism 25 d Leo XIII analysed continental Grand Orient type philosophical principles and practices 26 While naturalism was present everywhere in other types of lodges the subversive revolutionary activity characteristic of the Grand Orient lodges of the continent was not 26 Leo XIII emphasises that the ultimate and principle aim of Masonry was to destroy to its very foundations any civil or religious order established throughout Christendom and bring about in its place a new order founded on laws drawn out of the entrails of naturalism 27 Praeclara gratulationis publicae edit In Praeclara gratulationis publicae Leo XIII namely stated about Freemasonry Although We have spoken on this subject in the strongest terms before yet We are led by Our Apostolic watchfulness to urge it once more and We repeat Our warning again and again that in face of such an eminent peril no precaution howsoever great can be looked upon as sufficient May God in His Mercy bring to naught their impious designs nevertheless let all Christians know and understand that the shameful yoke of Freemasonry must be shaken off once and for all and let them be the first to shake it off who are most galled by its oppression the men of Italy and of France With what weapons and by what method this may best be done We Ourselves have already pointed out the victory cannot be doubtful to those who trust in that Leader Whose Divine Words still remain in all their force I have overcome the world 28 1917 code of canon law edit Under 1917 Code of Canon Law 1917 CIC which was in effect from May 1918 to November 1983 Catholics associated with Masonry were automatically i e latae sententia excommunicated canon 2335 29 30 deprived of marriage in the Catholic Church 31 excluded from Catholic associations 32 deprived of Catholic funeral rites 33 invalidated from novitiate 34 invalidated reception of personal jus patronatus 35 with additional penalties against clergy religious and members of secular institutes 36 Under 1917 CIC books which argue that Masonic sects and similar groups are useful and not harmful to the Church and civil society were prohibited 37 38 e Uncertainty following the Second Vatican Council edit The Catholic Church began an evaluation of its understanding of Masonry during 40 but not at f Vatican II g Throughout the jubilee of 1966 Pope Paul VI granted every confessor the faculty to absolve censures and penalties of 1917 Code of Canon Law s canon 2335 incurred by penitents who completely separated themselves from Masonic association and promised to repair and prevent as far as possible any scandal and damage they caused 46 After a four year investigation in five Scandinavian Bishops Conference CES countries 47 the CES decided in 1967 to apply the 1966 post conciliar norms in De Episcoporum Muneribus 48 which empowers bishops in special cases to dispense from certain injunctions of Canon Law 49 further explanation needed h The CES permitted within its jurisdiction converts to Catholicism to retain their Swedish Rite membership 47 but only with the specific permission of that person s bishop 51 In early 1968 The Tablet reported that Vatican sources had been quoted as saying that Catholics are now free to join the Masons in the United States Britain and most other countries of the world However the European Grand Orient Lodge of Masons established primarily in Italy and France is still considered anti Catholic or at least atheistic and that the CDF let it be known that Catholics joining the Freemasons are no longer automatically excommunicated The Church s new attitude has been in effect for more than a year The Church s Code of Canon Law drawn up in 1918 and shortly to be reformed provided for automatic excommunication of Catholics who enroll in the Masonic sect or in secret societies conspiring against the Church or the legitimate authorities Vatican sources added that this wording would be changed to modify the Church s position when the new Code of Canon Law was completed 40 These reports apparently caused consternation in the Vatican and were quickly corrected 52 The Holy See publicly said that 1917 CIC canon 2335 was not abrogated 53 and denied it planned to change profoundly its historic prohibition against Catholics joining Masonic groups 54 although confidential sources said a change in attitude in the future was considered possible 52 i Informal dialogues between Catholic Church and Masonic representatives took place after Vatican II in Austria Italy and Germany In Austria Freemason Karl Baresch representative of the Grand Lodge of Austria informally met Cardinal Franz Konig president of the Secretariat for Non Believers at Vienna in 1968 Later a commission of Catholic Church and Masonic representatives conducted a dialogue and produced the 1970 Lichtenau Declaration de an interpretative statement directed at Paul VI Cardinal Franjo Seper prefect of the CDF and other Catholic authorities It contained serious faults in philosophical theological and above all historical terms according to Professor Zbigniew Suchecki and was never officially recognized by the Catholic Church 56 In 1971 Bishop Daniel Pezeril auxiliary bishop of Paris accepted an invitation from the Grande Loge de France to lecture 57 This was the first official reception of a Catholic bishop after 1738 58 While some speculated about post conciliar revision of canon law and how norms would be legislated and enforced 59 the canonical prohibition against Catholics joining Masonic groups remained in force in 1974 60 The Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales CBCEW stated in 1974 that consultations with the world s bishops failed to produce consensus about the Catholic Church s relationship with Masonry 61 The CDF 1974 wrote that many bishops had asked it about how to weight and interpret 1917 CIC canon 2335 The divergent replies it gave reflected different situations in various countries The CDF reiterated that 1917 CIC canons which establish a penalty are subject to strict interpretation 62 so canon 2335 applied only to Catholics who were members of Masonic associations that machinate against the Church 63 The CBCEW interpreted CDF 1974 as instructing bishops that 1917 CIC canon 2335 no longer automatically bars a Catholic from membership of Masonic groups since it is subject to strict interpretation and that a Catholic who joins the Freemasons is excommunicated only if the policy and actions of the Freemasons in his area are known to be hostile to the Church 61 So the CBCEW defined norms within its jurisdiction that Catholics who believed that membership in Masonic associations does not conflict with their deeper loyalty to their incorporation in the Catholic Church should discuss the implications of such membership with their parish priest Likewise Catholics in Masonic associations were urged to seek reconciliation 61 German Bishops Conference edit In 1980 after six years of dialogue with representatives of the United Grand Lodges of Germany and investigation of Masonic rituals discuss the DBK produced a report on Freemasonry listing twelve conclusions 64 Among the DBK s conclusions were that Freemasonry denies revelation 65 and objective truth 66 They also alleged that religious indifference is fundamental to Freemasonry 67 and that Freemasonry is Deist 68 and that it denies the possibility of divine revelation 69 so threatening the respect due to the Church s teaching office 70 The sacramental character of Masonic rituals was seen as signifying an individual transformation 71 offering an alternative path to perfection 72 and having a total claim on the life of a member 73 It concludes by stating that all lodges are forbidden to Catholics 74 including Catholic friendly lodges 75 j Seper s clarification edit The 1981 CDF Declaration concerning status of Catholics becoming Freemasons said that the 1974 CDF reply had given rise to erroneous and tendentious interpretations 77 The 1981 CDF declaration also affirmed that the prohibition against Catholics joining Masonic groups had not changed and remained in effect 78 1983 code of canon law edit The Catholic Church abrogated and replaced 1917 Code of Canon Law 1917 CIC with present 1983 Code of Canon Law 1983 CIC which took effect in November 1983 1917 CIC canon 2335 developed into the 1983 CIC s canon 1374 79 Unlike the abrogated 1917 CIC canon 2335 29 however 1983 CIC canon 1374 does not name any groups it condemns it states A person who joins an association which plots against the Church is to be punished with a just penalty k one who promotes or takes office in such an association is to be punished with an interdict 84 This omission led some Catholics and Freemasons especially in America to believe that the ban on Catholics becoming Freemasons might have changed l and caused confusion in the church s hierarchy m Many Catholics joined the fraternity basing their membership on a permissive interpretation of Canon Law and justifying their membership by their belief that Freemasonry does not plot against the Church n The Catholic Church uses two parallel codes of canon law the 1983 CIC in the Latin Church of the Catholic Church and the 1990 Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches 1990 CCEO in the sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches of the Catholic Church 1983 CIC canon 1374 and 1990 CCEO canon 1448 2 are parallel canons 88 o 1983 CIC canon 1374 differentiates between being a member of a forbidden association and being an officer or promoter but 1990 CCEO canon 1448 2 does not 88 Declaration on Masonic Associations edit nbsp Pope John Paul II who personally approved the 1983 Declaration on Masonic Associations from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the FaithIn 1983 Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith with the personal approval of Pope John Paul II issued a Declaration on Masonic Associations which reiterated the Church s objections to Freemasonry 91 The 1983 declaration states that faithful who enroll in Masonic associations are in a state of grave sin and may not receive Holy Communion the Church s negative judgment in regard to Masonic association s remains unchanged since their principles have always been considered irreconcilable with the doctrine of the Church and therefore membership in them remains forbidden 91 CDF 1983 stipulated that neither CDF 1974 nor CDF 1981harvnb error no target CITEREFCDF1981 help allowed an individual bishop or bishops conferences to permit Catholics to belong to masonic lodges 92 Continued ban after the declaration edit A USCCB committee concluded in its 1985 Letter to U S Bishops Concerning Masonry that the principles and basic rituals of Masonry embody a naturalistic religion active participation in which is incompatible with Christian faith and practice 93 Those who knowingly embrace masonic principles are committing serious sin and 93 according to Law s parenthetical commentary on Whalen that offense might be punishable under canon 1364 86 According to that canon an apostate heretic or schismatic incurs a latae sententiae excommunication and clerics can be punished with additional expiatory penalties including dismissal from the clerical state 94 Caparros et al elucidates that in cases where registration into an association entails apostasy heresy or schism then the offense is punishable under canon 1364 95 Nevertheless citing CDF 1983 Caparros et al states that those masonic associations that would not be covered by canon 1374 have principles which are still seen to be incompatible with the doctrine of the Church 95 Every delict in canon law is a sin 96 The distinction between penal law and morality is according to the USCCB committee that not all sins are violations in canon law so in a case where a sin is not also a violation or delict in canon law it is a fallacy to conclude that it is permissible to commit it 97 Referring specifically to the secrecy of masonic organisations CDF 1985 reiterated the ban on masonic membership in CDF 1983 92 According to McInvale 1992 the CDF 1985 argues that Masonry establishes a relativistic symbolic concept of morality unacceptable to Catholicism In 1996 Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lincoln legislated that Catholic members of masonic associations in the diocese incur a latae sententiae censure of a one month interdict during which they are forbidden to receive holy communion those who continue membership incur a latae sententiae censure of excommunication 98 Those excommunications which were challenged through a process of canonical recourse were affirmed by a judgment of the Holy See in 2006 99 In 2000 David Patterson executive secretary of the Masonic Service Bureau of Los Angeles asked Cardinal Roger Mahony whether a practicing Catholic may join a Masonic Lodge Father Thomas Anslow Judicial Vicar of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles replied to Patterson that the matter is too complex for a straightforward yes or no answer But at least for Catholics in the United States I believe the answer is probably yes 100 Because he was unaware of any ideology or practice by the local lodges that challenges or subverts the doctrine and interests of the Catholic Church Anslow wrote that his qualified response is probably yes 100 Anslow publicly retracted his 2000 letter in 2002 with the explanation that his analysis was faulty 101 He wrote that according to the CDF 1985 reflection about the CDF 1983 declaration the system of symbols used in Masonry can foster a supraconfessional humanitarian conception of the divine that neutralizes or replaces the faith dimension of our relationship with God 102 In 2002 the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines decreed that a Catholic who is a publicly known Freemason who actively participates or promotes its views or holds any office and refuses to renounce his membership after being warned in accord with 1983 CIC canon 1347 103 is to be punished with an interdict in accord with 1983 CIC canon 1374 84 including exclusion from receiving the sacraments 104 prohibition against acting as a sponsor in Baptism and Confirmation prohibition against being a member of any parish or diocesan structure and denial of Catholic funeral rites unless some signs of repentance before death were shown regardless to avoid public scandal in a case where a bishop allows funeral rites Masonic services are prohibited in the church and prohibited immediately before or after the Catholic funeral rites at the cemetery 105 106 a Catholic who is a Freemason notoriously adhering to the Masonic vision is automatically excommunicated under canon 1364 and is automatically censured in accord with 1983 CIC canon 1331 107 108 94 a Freemason is prohibited from acting a witness to marriage in the Catholic Church and prohibited from being a member of any associations of the faithful 109 The Masonic Information Center pointed out in 2006 that CDF 1983 which prohibits membership in Masonic associations remains in effect 110 Bishop Gianfranco Girotti regent of the Apostolic Penitentiary told the 2007 Freemasonry and the Catholic Church conference at the Pontifical Theological Faculty of St Bonaventure in Rome that doctrine has not changed 111 Girotti quoting the CDF 1983 declaration reiterated that masonic philosophy is incompatible with Catholic faith 112 Likewise reacting to the news of an 85 year old Catholic priest Rosario Francesco Esposito becoming a member in a Masonic lodge 113 Girotti told Vatican Radio in May 2007 that the CDF 1983 declaration remains in force today update 114 Girotti called on priests who had declared themselves to be Freemasons to be disciplined by their direct superiors 115 In 2013 a Catholic priest at Megeve France was stripped of his functions at the request of the CDF for being an active member of the Grand Orient de France 116 In 2023 the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith reiterated that Catholics are forbidden from joining Freemasonry quoting the 1983 Ratzinger document The decision was signed by Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez prefect for the Dicastery and approved by Pope Francis 117 Current position of the Church on Catholics joining the Fraternity editThe Catholic Church s current norm on Masonic associations is the 1983 CDF Declaration on Masonic associations 91 p The 1983 CDF declaration states that Catholics who enroll in Masonic associations are in a state of grave sin and may not receive Holy Communion 6 The 1983 CDF declaration clarified the omission of association names in 1983 Code of Canon Law 1983 CIC by stating that the editorial criterion which was followed did not mention association names since they are contained in wider categories 91 1983 CIC canon 1374 states that a Catholic who joins an association which plots against the Church is to be punished with a just penalty one who promotes or takes office in such an association is to be punished with an interdict 84 This contrasted with the 1917 Code of Canon Law 1917 CIC which explicitly declared that joining Freemasonry entailed automatic excommunication The omission of association names like Masonic associations from the 1983 CIC prompted Catholics and Masons to question whether the ban on Catholics becoming Freemasons was still active especially after the perceived liberalization of the Church after Vatican II A number of Catholics became Freemasons assuming that the Church had softened its stance q The 1983 CDF declaration addressed this misinterpretation of the Code of Canon Law clarifying that the Church s negative judgment in regard to Masonic association remains unchanged since their principles have always been considered irreconcilable with the doctrine of the Church and therefore membership in them remains forbidden 91 The irreconcilable principles that the Church believes Freemasonry possesses include a deistic God r naturalism 86 and religious indifferentism s Near the time that the 1983 CDF declaration was released bishops conferences in Germany and America also released independent reports on the question of Freemasonry The conclusions of the German Bishops Conference DBK in its 1980 report on Masonry and cited by the U S Conference of Catholic Bishops USCCB in its 1985 letter included that research on the ritual and on the Masonic mentality makes it clear that it is impossible to belong to the Catholic Church and to Freemasonry at the same time 120 Some of the doctrines are incorporated into Catholic social teaching which are in the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church to appreciate democratic political systems which are accountable to the governed and to reject all secret organizations that seek to influence or subvert the functioning of legitimate institutions 121 According to Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi president of the Pontifical Council for Culture DBK 1980 and CBCP 2010 are significant texts as they address the theoretical and practical reasons for the irreconcilability of masonry and Catholicism as concepts of truth t religion u God man and the world spirituality ethics rituality and tolerance 128 Freemasonry s position on Catholics joining the Fraternity editMasonic bodies do not ban Catholics from joining if they wish to do so 129 There has never been a Masonic prohibition against Catholics joining the fraternity and some Freemasons are Catholics despite the Catholic Church s prohibition of joining the freemasons 130 Catholic fraternal societies editFreemasonry was an important catalyst in the founding of the Knights of Columbus and the Knights of Peter Claver in the United States 131 and the Knights of the Southern Cross in Australia because one of the attractions of Freemasonry was that it provided a number of social services unavailable to non members e g devout Catholics 132 Michael McGivney a Catholic priest in New Haven Connecticut wished to provide Catholic men with a Catholic fraternal organization an alternative to Freemasonry with the attractiveness of selected membership and secret initiation but neither oath bound nor secret 133 Thus he founded the Knights of Columbus believing that Catholicism and fraternalism were not incompatible and wished to found a society that would encourage men to be proud of their American Catholic heritage 134 McGivney was beatified by Pope Francis in 2020 The KoC though accepting African American members early on in its history soon came to identify in many of its councils with segregationist and anti black viewpoints leading to the denial of membership to many prospective black candidates As a result the Josephites founded the Knights of Peter Claver in 1909 which as of 2021 is the largest and oldest Black Catholic organization in America 135 See also edit nbsp Catholicism portal nbsp Society portalAnticlericalism and Freemasonry Anti Masonry Nicodemites Christianity and Freemasonry Papal documents relating to Freemasonry Religious Issue Brazil Notes edit The offense suspicion of heresy was a distinct offense from being suspected of the offense of heresy 17 The offense suspicion of heresy is not found in the 1983 CIC 18 Clement XII had condemned and prohibited a category of groups whether or not they are called Freemasons 15 He instructed local ordinaries and inquisitors to investigate and punish transgressors with suitable penalties as being gravely suspect of heresy 16 a In context the condemnation and prohibition by Clement XII 1738 and Cardinal Giuseppe Firrao fr it secretary of state in 1739 are according to Benimeli 2014 pp 139 140 nothing more than further links in the long chain of measures adopted by European authorities throughout the eighteenth century According to Benimeli Clement XII and Benedict XIV only added a religious reason of suspicion of heresy to the civil reason of subversive activity enacted by 18th century Catholic Protestant and Islamic governments against masonic associations 19 Firrao decreed that masonic meetings were a danger to public peace and order within the Papal States and were also suspected of heresy 19 Four papal documents of Clement XII 1738 Benedict XIV 1751 Pius VII 1821 and Leo XII 1825 comprise virtually all of the legislation about condemned secret associations before the 1917 CIC 22 Later papal documents relating to Freemasonry restated these four documents and various Roman congregations interpreted the law contained in them 22 Of those four documents only excerpts from Clement XII 1738 are included in DH 2012 nn 2511 2513 Masons were not characterized as self consciously venerating the devil by Catholic writers prior to Leo Taxil the perpetrator of an anti Masonic hoax 25 The Index of prohibited books was abolished in 1965 and that function of CDF was replaced with other norms The right and the duty to examine and also to prevent the publication of works as well as the rebuke and admonition of authors was devolved to episcopal conferences and individual ordinaries In 1966 the CDF notified that although the Index no longer has the force of ecclesiastical law with the attached censure it remains morally binding in light of the demands of natural law in so far as it admonishes the conscience of Christians to be on guard for those writings that can endanger faith and morals The Holy See reserved use of its right and duty to issue reprimands about these writings even publicly 39 Bishop Sergio Mendez Arceo of Cuernavaca Mexico asked Vatican II to discuss secret societies and Masonic associations 41 Arceo and others proposed that not all Masonry machinated against the Catholic Church 42 Vatican II reversed a thousand years of legal history of the Latin Church 43 The Vatican II dogmatic constitution on the Church Lumen gentium LG and the Vatican II decree on the pastoral office of bishops Christus Dominus CD explain that the scope of a diocesan bishop s power is ordinary proper and immediate and is limited and regulated though the supreme authority of the Church in the form of canon law or papal decree 44 Because of this significant changes in practice were then legislated to implement Vatican II The norms in Paul VI 1966b implemented concessions prescribed in CD n 8 45 See commentaries in McIntyre 2000 pp 128 130 and Renken 2000a p 503 The CES based their decision on the claim that Scandinavian Masonry was fundamentally different from American and European Masonry that it was Christian and that Swedish Rite masonry was not anticlerical or atheistic 47 According to the CES secretary Bishop John Willem Gran of Oslo the CES had not received any comments from the Holy See about their 1967 decision 49 further explanation needed Likewise Gran 1968 contradicted misrepresentations of fact in a Tablet 1968d paragraph which Gran attributed to a widely repeated Le Monde article and corrected that the CDF did not privately reply to a CES bishop that it was possible but not advisable for a Catholic to join 50 The confusion did not end there for example during the 20 years after Vatican II the British press regularly reported with amazement about a pending rapprochement which contrasted with a Catholic toughening after the 1981 Propaganda Due P2 clandestine lodge scandal and revelations of its machination against the state 55 The DBK noted that German Protestant churches were also suspicious of Freemasonry 76 See canon 1349 80 a just penalty is an indeterminate penalty which allows the exercise of discretion in imposition of penalties based on the circumstances of individual cases 81 According to canon lawyer Edward N Peters the term just penalty means that a penalty e g interdict excommunication can be tailored to fit the crime 82 Canon lawyer Cathy Caridi wrote that CDF 1983 provides a theological interpretation of canon 1374 83 Caridi commented that according to CDF 1983 a diocesan bishop or chancery official cannot grant permission in a particular case for a member of the diocese to become a Mason Some Freemasons and some Catholics believe according to Reid McInvale that since Vatican II the attitude of the church has been to regard Freemasonry as an acceptable sphere for fraternal interaction 85 Bernard Law wrote that many bishops replied to an earlier survey that confusion had been generated by a perceived change of approach by the CDF 86 In good faith many of these men had asked their pastors and or bishops for permission to join the Lodge Some converts were received into the Church during these years and were not asked to relinquish their Masonic affiliation 87 All censures in 1990 CCEO are imposed judicially or administratively 89 it does not include any automatic latae sententia censures 90 The CDF 1983 declaration is a simple declaration which must be interpreted in the context of other existing legislation 118 It reiterated CDF 1981a which clarified the Church s doctrine that the historic prohibition against Catholics joining Masonic groups remained According to Whalen 1985 from 1974 to after 1981 an undetermined number of Catholic men joined the Lodge and many presently maintain membership Articles in the Catholic press told readers that under certain circumstances a Masonic membership was allowed The general public Catholic and non Catholic assumed the Church had softened its stand against membership in Freemasonry The nature of the Masonic God is best seen in their favorite title for him the Supreme Architect The Masonic God is first of all a deistic God who is found at the top of the ladder of Masonic wisdom 119 According to Law 1985 DBK 1980 and Whalen 1985 confirm that the principles and basic rituals of Masonry embody a naturalistic religion active participation in which is incompatible with Christian faith and practice Masonry is opposed to the concept of supernatural truth 2 For example Whalen 1985 wrote that whatever constitutes that religion in which all men agree it is not Christianity or revealed religion Masonic studies is a field in the academic study of new religious movements 122 Speculative masonry does not fit categories in the church sect cult typology of religious movements 123 Masonry asserts that it is a fraternal organization and neither a religion nor a substitute for religion 124 others assert that it exhibits the features of a religion 125 some assert that it is a religion 126 In contrast some assert that it is impossible to conclude that Freemasonry is religious 127 References edit CBCP 2010 p 9 a b Gruber 1910 Saunders William 2005 What are the Masons catholiceducation org Catholic Education Resource Center Archived from the original on 2014 10 28 Reprint of Catholics and Freemasonry Arlington Catholic Herald Arlington VA Diocese of Arlington 2005 09 22 ISSN 0361 3712 Whalen William J 1996 Papal condemnations of the Lodge ewtn com Irondale AL Eternal Word Television Network Archived from the original on 1999 11 05 From Whalen William J 1958 Christianity and American Freemasonry Milwaukee WI Bruce OCLC 630774062 Benimeli 2014 p 150 a b CDF 1983 see CDF 1985 membership objectively constitutes a grave sin see Law 1985 Those who knowingly embrace such principles are committing serious sin Which implies in all cases an act of free will and being conscious of committing an intrinsically evil action 5 CDF 1985 cited in Levada 2011 The Request of His Excellency the Most Rev Julito Cortes Bishop of Dumaguete Philippines Regarding the Best Pastoral Approach to Membership in Freemasonry by the Catholic Faithful 13 November 2023 PDF Vatican va Mackey s Encyclopedia of Freemasonry cited in Madison Dryfoos amp Timeline Ridley Jasper 2001 The Freemasons A history of the world s most powerful secret society 1st U S ed New York Arcade pp 51 53 ISBN 9781559706018 Tommaso Crudeli freemasonry bcy ca Vancouver Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon A F amp A M Archived from the original on 2003 07 07 From Cerza Alphonse 1967 The truth is stranger than fiction Washington DC Masonic Service Association OCLC 2964387 Bernheim Alain 2011 Ramsay et ses deux discours in French Paris Teletes pp 17 19 ISBN 9782906031746 Carr s The Freemason at Work cited in Madison Dryfoos amp Timeline Clement XII 1738 1 DH 2012 n 2511 a b Clement XII 1738 2 DH 2012 n 2512 Clement XII 1738 4 DH 2012 n 2513 Peters 2015 See CIC 1917 n 2315 translated in Peters 2001 p 736 see commentaries in Bachofen 1922 pp 284 287 and Woywod 1948b n 2159 at pp 512 513 Peters 2015 a b Benimeli 2014 pp 139 140 Quigley 1927 p 16 Leo XII 1825 Quigley 1927 p 16 a b Quigley 1926 p 60 cited in Macdonald 1946 pp 25 26 Luijk 2016 p 237 Leo XIII 1884 nn 10 12 13 17 21 Whalen 1985 a b Luijk 2016 p 240 a b Macdonald 1946 p 97 Leo XIII 1884 10 quoted in Benimeli 2014 p 143 Praeclara Gratulationis Publicae Papal Encyclicals 1894 06 20 Retrieved 2021 06 13 a b CIC 1917 c 2335 translated in Peters 2001 p 740 see commentaries in Bachofen 1922 pp 339 346 Benimeli 2014 pp 143 144 and Woywod 1948b pp 530 532 developed into 1983 CIC canon 1374 Bouscaren Ellis amp Korth 1963 c 2335 at p 924 quoted in freemasonry bcy ca 2001 CIC 1917 c 1065 1 translated in Peters 2001 p 367 see commentaries in Bachofen 1918 pp 154 157 and Woywod 1948a pp 706 707 was developed into 1983 CIC canon 1071 1 4 CIC 1917 cc 693 1 696 2 translated in Peters 2001 pp 262 263 see commentaries in Bachofen 1919 pp 435 437 and Woywod 1948a pp 345 347 parts of cc 693 1 and 696 2 were developed into parts of 1983 CIC canons 308 and 316 CIC 1917 c 1240 1 1 translated in Peters 2001 p 421 see commentaries in Bachofen 1921 pp 152 158 and Woywod 1948a p 52 was developed into 1983 CIC canon 1184 CIC 1917 c 542 1 translated in Peters 2001 pp 210 211 see commentaries in Bachofen 1919 pp 205 214 and Woywod 1948a p 243 was incorporated into 1983 CIC canon 597 1 CIC 1917 c 1453 translated in Peters 2001 p 488 see commentaries in Bachofen 1921 p 527 and Woywod 1948b pp 177 178 was not developed into a 1983 CIC canon CIC 1917 cc 501 2 2336 translated in Peters 2001 pp 195 740 741 see commentaries in Bachofen 1918 pp 103 110 111 346 347 and Woywod 1948b pp 501 532 c 501 2 was developed into 1983 CIC canon 596 CIC 1917 c 1399 8 translated in Peters 2001 p 471 see commentaries in Bachofen 1921 pp 467 473 474 and Woywod 1948b p 151 was not developed into a 1983 CIC canon Bouscaren Ellis amp Korth 1963 c 1399 8 quoted in freemasonry bcy ca 2001 CDF 1966 a b Tablet 1968a Benimeli 2014 p 144 Calderwood 2013 p 133 McIntyre 2000 p 127 Vatican II amp LG n 27 DH 2012 n 4152 Vatican II amp CD n 8 McIntyre 2000 p 127 Renken 2000b pp 519 520 Paul VI 1966c n 6 Paul VI 1965 Paul VI 1966a Tablet 1968a a b c Gran 1968 Tablet 1968c Paul VI 1966b cited in Gran 1968 a b Gran 1968 Tablet 1968d quoted in Gran 1968 Tablet 1968c a b Tablet 1968b Tablet 1968a Tablet 1968b Tablet 1968a quoted in Tablet 1968b Calderwood 2013 pp 133 134 Suchecki 2007 Tablet 1971 Benimeli 2014 Tablet 1971 Tablet 1973 CDF 1974 a b c Tablet 1974 CDF 1974 Tablet 1974 See CIC 1917 nn 19 49 50 translated in Peters 2001 pp 36 44 see commentaries in Bachofen 1918 pp 98 99 137 139 and Woywod 1948a pp 14 35 CDF 1974 Whalen 1985 DBK 1980 DBK 1980 n 1 as translated in Jenkins 1996 quoted in Gantley 2006a see CBCP 2010 n 37 at p 19 DBK 1980 n 2 as translated in Jenkins 1996 quoted in Gantley 2006a DBK 1980 n 3 as translated in Jenkins 1996 quoted in Gantley 2006a DBK 1980 n 4 as translated in Jenkins 1996 quoted in Gantley 2006a DBK 1980 n 5 as translated in Jenkins 1996 quoted in Gantley 2006a DBK 1980 n 6 as translated in Jenkins 1996 quoted in Gantley 2006a DBK 1980 n 7 as translated in Jenkins 1996 quoted in Gantley 2006a see CBCP 2010 n 45 at p 23 DBK 1980 n 8 as translated in Jenkins 1996 quoted in Gantley 2006a DBK 1980 n 9 as translated in Jenkins 1996 quoted in Gantley 2006a DBK 1980 n 10 as translated in Jenkins 1996 quoted in Gantley 2006a DBK 1980 n 11 as translated in Jenkins 1996 quoted in Gantley 2006a DBK 1980 n 12 as translated in Jenkins 1996 quoted in Gantley 2006a see CBCP 2010 n 47 at p 24 CDF 1974 CDF 1981a CDF 1981a Peters 2001 p 740 CIC 1983 c 1349 Green 2000b p 1563 1564 Peters 2005 Caridi 2008 sfn error no target CITEREFCaridi2008 help a b c CIC 1983 c 1374 McInvale 1992 a b c Law 1985 Whalen 1985 a b Green 2000c p 1583 CCEO 1990 c 1402 cited in Faris 2000 p 41 Faris 2000 p 41 a b c d e CDF 1983 a b Tablet 1985 a b Whalen 1985 quoted in Law 1985 a b CIC 1983 c 1364 a b Caparros et al 1993 c 1374 at pp 1070 1071 Green 2000a p 1529 Whalen 1985 quoted in Law 1985 see Green 2000a p 1529 Bruskewitz 1996 Besse 2007 McFeely 2006 Besse 2007 a b Anslow 2000 Anslow 2002 CDF 1985 quoted in Anslow 2002 CIC 1983 c 1347 CIC 1983 c 1332 CBCP 2002 n 1 CIC 1983 c 1184 CBCP 2002 n 2 CIC 1983 c 1331 CBCP 2002 n 3 Masonic Information Center 2006 Suchecki 2007 Zenit 2007 quoted in Besse 2007 Zenit 2007 cited in Besse 2007 Italian priest joins Masons catholicculture org Manassas VA Trinity Communications 2007 02 19 Archived from the original on 2011 05 01 Catholic World News 2007 Zenit 2007 Agence France Presse 2013 Vatican confirms Catholics still forbidden to join Masonic lodges Vatican News 15 November 2023 Morrissey 2003 Jolicoeur amp Knowles 1978 pp 14 15 quoted in Whalen 1985 in Law 1985 Law 1985 Gantley 2006b PCJP amp CSDC n 567 see Vatican II amp GS n 74 Lewis amp Tollefsen 2016a pp 2 3 Taves amp Kinsella 2014 p 87 Masonic Information Center 1998 Stemper amp Beck 2005 pp 2193 2194 California Court of Appeal 2007 pdf p 8 Whalen 1967 p 137 California Court of Appeal 2007 pdf pp 11 12 Calderwood 2013 pp 130 131 159 Stemper amp Beck 2005 p 3197 Ravasi translated by Romana 2016 sfn error no target CITEREFRavasi translated by Romana2016 help UGLE 2002 Morris S Brent 2006 Religious concerns about Freemasonry The complete idiot s guide to Freemasonry New York Alpha Books p 207 ISBN 9781592574902 The organization was also intended to provide an alternative for Catholics to membership in a Masonic lodge History of the Knights Somerville Council 1432 American Catholics found themselves unable to participate in the many fraternal organizations that offered insurance benefits because the Church had condemned so called secret societies A New Haven Conn parish priest Michael J McGivney organized the Knights of Columbus as an alternative to proscribed organizations Many Fraternal Groups Grew From Masonic Seed Part 2 1860 1920 Archived 2006 02 09 at the Wayback Machine by Barbara Franco The Northern Lights November 1985 Egan amp Kennedy 1920 p 52 quoted in Mackey Albert G Hughan William J Hawkins Edward L eds n d Knights of Columbus An encyclopedia of freemasonry and its kindred sciences Online phoenixmasonry org ed based on 1921 new and rev print ed Phoenixmasonry Kaufman 1992 p 17 sfn error no target CITEREFKaufman1992 help Knights of Peter Claver oldest largest African American Catholic lay organization Archdiocese of Oklahoma City Retrieved 2021 09 12 Anslow Thomas C 2000 09 11 May Catholics become Freemasons Letter to David Patterson executive secretary of the Masonic Service Bureau of Los Angeles Archived from the original on 2001 05 01 via msana com Reply to Patterson s letter of inquiry directed to Cardinal Mahoney 2002 02 12 Retraction of letter dated 2000 09 11 Letter to David Patterson executive secretary of the Masonic Service Bureau of Los Angeles Archived from the original on 2006 02 11 via archdiocese la Bachofen Charles A 1918 A commentary on the new Code of the canon law V 1 A commentary on the new code of the canon law New Code of canon law A commentary on the Vol 1 2nd ed St Louis MO London B Herder book hdl 2027 wu 89097198154 OCLC 608970346 1919 A commentary on the new Code of the canon law V 3 A commentary on the new code of the canon law New Code of canon law A commentary on the Vol 3 2nd ed St Louis MO London B Herder book hdl 2027 wu 89097198170 OCLC 608970346 1921 A commentary on the new Code of the canon law V 6 A commentary on the new code of the canon law New Code of canon law A commentary on the Vol 6 St Louis MO London B Herder book hdl 2027 wu 89097198196 OCLC 608970346 1922 A commentary on the new Code of the canon law 8 A commentary on the new code of the canon law New Code of canon law A commentary on the Vol 8 St Louis MO London B Herder book hdl 2027 wu 89059250977 OCLC 608970346 Baudier Roger 1939 The Catholic Church in Louisiana New Orleans A W Hyatt Stationery OCLC 5010311 Beal John P Coriden James A Green Thomas J eds 2000 New commentary on the Code of Canon Law study ed New York Paulist Press ISBN 0809105020 https books google com books id 6YCpraE 7xcC a href Template Cite encyclopedia html title Template Cite encyclopedia cite encyclopedia a Missing or empty title help Faris John D An overview of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches In Beal et al 2000 pp 27 44 Green Sanctions in the Church Introduction In Beal et al 2000 pp 1529 1533 Green The application of penalties In Beal et al 2000 pp 1558 1566 Green Delicts against ecclesial authorities and the freedom of the Church In Beal et al 2000 pp 1580 1585 McIntyre John P Dispensations In Beal et al 2000 pp 126 137 Renken John A Particular churches and the authority established in them Introduction In Beal et al 2000 pp 501 503 Renken Diocesan bishops In Beal et al 2000 pp 518 540 Benimeli Jose A Ferrer 2014 Freemasonry and the Catholic Church In Bogdan Henrik Snoek Jan A M eds Handbook of Freemasonry Brill handbooks on contemporary religion Vol 8 Leiden Brill ISBN 9789004218338 Benedict XIV Pope 1751 Providas Romanorum freemasonry bcy ca Besse Gail 2007 09 07 Can Catholics also be Masons thebostonpilot com Boston Archdiocese of Boston Archived from the original on 2015 04 16 Retrieved 2016 07 31 Bouscaren T Lincoln Ellis Adam C Korth Francis N 1963 Canon law a text and commentary 4th rev ed Milwaukee WI Bruce OCLC 716992 Bruskewitz Fabian W March 22 1996 1996 03 19 Statement of Bishop Bruskewitz excommunicating certain groups Southern Nebraska Register Denver CO Catholic Press Society Roman Catholic Diocese of Lincoln ISSN 0744 6950 Archived from the original on 2012 09 12 Retrieved May 29 2011 via catholicculture org Calderwood Paul 2013 Freemasonry and the press in the twentieth century a national newspaper study of England and Wales Farnham u a Ashgate ISBN 9781409454335 Caparros Ernest Theriault Michel Thorn Jean eds 1993 Code of Canon Law Annotated Latin English Edition of the Code of Canon Law and English language Translation of the 5th Spanish language Edition of the Commentary Code of Canon Law annotated Latin English edition of the Code of Canon Law and English language translation of the 5th Spanish language edition of the commentary prepared under the responsibility of the Instituto Martin de Azpilcueta Montreal Wilson amp Lafleur pp 1070 1071 ISBN 2891272323 Carnes Mark C 1989 Secret ritual and manhood in Victorian America New Haven Yale University Press p 4 ISBN 9780300044249 Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines 2002 07 06 Joint declaration of the CBCP on sanctions for Catholics who join Freemasonry CBCP Monitor Vol 14 no 13 Intramuros Manila CBCP Media Office published June 21 July 4 2010 p B3 OCLC 316259717 2010 2003 A primer on freemasonry PDF CBCP Media Office for the Knights of Columbus of the Philippines abridged ed Manila Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines Publications ISBN 978 971 8915 23 3 Archived PDF from the original on 2016 07 22 Retrieved 2016 07 22 via frgeorgewillmann org Clement XII Pope 1738 04 28 In eminenti apostolatus specula papalencyclicals net Archived from the original on 2012 02 12 Retrieved 2016 07 17 Code of Canon Law Prepared under the auspices of the Canon Law Society of America from 2001 Latin English print ed Vatican City Libreria Editrice Vaticana 2003 11 04 via vatican va a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint others link Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches Prepared under the auspices of the Canon Law Society of America from 1992 Latin English print ed Rome IT Eulogos SpA 2007 07 17 via intratext com a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint others link Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith 1966 06 14 Notification regarding the abolition of the Index of books vatican va Archived from the original on 2014 03 07 Retrieved 2016 07 10 1981 02 17 Declaratio de canonica disciplina quae sub pœna excommunicationis vetat ne catholici nomen dent sectae massonicae aliisque eiusdem generis associationibus Acta Apostolicae Sedis in Latin Vatican City published 1981 04 03 73 3 240 241 via vatican va Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith 1974 07 18 Complures episcopi In CDF 1981b fn 1 1981 02 17 Declaration concerning status of Catholics becoming Freemasons vatican va Archived from the original on 2010 12 08 This English translation does not include CDF 1974 which is included in the Latin typical edition CDF 1981b 1983 11 26 Declaration on Masonic associations vatican va Archived from the original on 2001 03 14 1985 02 23 Reflections one year after the declaration of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith irreconcilability between Christian faith and Freemasonry L Osservatore Romano Vatican City published 1985 03 11 Archived from the original on 2007 05 05 via vatican va Denzinger Heinrich Hunermann Peter et al eds 2012 Compendium of Creeds Definitions and Declarations on Matters of Faith and Morals Enchiridion symbolorum a compendium of creeds definitions and declarations of the Catholic Church 43rd ed San Francisco Ignatius Press ISBN 978 0898707465 German Bishops Conference 1980 05 12 Zur Frage der Mitgliedschaft von Katholiken in der Freimaurerei To the question of the membership of Catholics in Freemasonry Archiv fur katholische Kirchenrecht in German Mainz Kirchheim 149 ISSN 0003 9160 nbsp One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from this source which is in the public domain Egan Maurice F Kennedy John B 1920 The Knights of Columbus in peace and war Vol 1 New Haven Knights of Columbus p 52 hdl 2027 hvd hn323j OCLC 656613674 Gantley Mark J 2006 03 19 Free Masons ewtn com Irondale AL Eternal Word Television Network Archived from the original on 2016 07 09 2006 12 10 Freemasonry ewtn com Irondale AL Eternal Word Television Network Archived from the original on 2016 07 09 Gran John W 1968 06 08 Freemasons in Scandinavia Letters to the editor The Tablet London p 580 ISSN 0039 8837 Archived from the original on 2016 09 08 Retrieved 2016 09 08 nbsp One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from this source which is in the public domain Guilday Peter 1922 The life and times of John Carroll Vol 2 New York Encyclopedia Press hdl 2027 uc2 ark 13960 t86h4q191 OCLC 697982721 nbsp One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from this source which is in the public domain Guilday Peter 1932 A history of the councils of Baltimore 1791 1884 New York Macmillan hdl 2027 wu 89064466170 OCLC 609187759 Hennesey J 2003 Baltimore Councils of In Carson Thomas et al eds New Catholic encyclopedia Vol 2 2nd ed Washington DC Catholic University of America pp 41 47 ISBN 9780787676940 nbsp This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain Gruber Hermann 1910 Masonry Freemasonry In Herbermann Charles ed Catholic Encyclopedia Vol 9 New York Robert Appleton Company pp 771 788 Hackett David G 2014 Jews and Catholics 1723 1920 That religion in which all men agree Freemasonry in American culture Berkeley University of California Press ISBN 9780520957626 Jenkins Ronny E 1996 The Evolution of the Church s prohibition against Catholic membership in Freemasonry The Jurist Washington DC Catholic University of America Press 56 735 755 ISSN 2326 6236 Jolicoeur Pamela M Knowles Louis L Autumn 1978 Fraternal associations and civil religion Scottish Rite Freemasonry Review of Religious Research New York Religious Research Association 20 1 3 22 doi 10 2307 3509938 ISSN 0034 673X JSTOR 3509938 Kauffman Christopher J 1992 Faith and fraternalism the history of the Knights of Columbus Rev ed New York Simon amp Schuster ISBN 9780133009897 Law Bernard 1985 04 19 Concerning Masonry Letter to U S Bishops Archived from the original on 2016 07 09 via catholicculture org Leo XII Pope 1825 Quo graviora papalencyclicals net Leo XIII Pope 1884 04 20 Humanum genus vatican va Archived from the original on 2014 12 14 Levada William 2011 10 12 The integrity of faith major documents of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in the post conciliar period vatican va Archived from the original on 2012 06 13 Retrieved 2016 08 22 Lewis James R Tollefsen Inga B eds 2016 The Oxford Handbook of New Religious Movements Vol 2 Oxford University Press doi 10 1093 oxfordhb 9780190466176 001 0001 ISBN 9780190466176 Bogdan Henrik Western esotericism and new religious movements In Lewis amp Tollefsen 2016 Lewis amp Tollefsen Introduction In Lewis amp Tollefsen 2016 Luijk Ruben van 2016 Children of Lucifer the origins of modern religious Satanism Oxford studies in Western esotericism New York Oxford University Press published June 2016 doi 10 1093 acprof oso 9780190275105 001 0001 ISBN 9780190275105 nbsp One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from this source which is in the public domain Macdonald Fergus 1946 McMahon Thomas J ed The Catholic church and the secret societies in the United States Monograph series Vol 22 New York United States Catholic historical Society hdl 2027 mdp 39015004055102 OCLC 576718108 Madison Bill Dryfoos Gary L 2004 06 22 c 1995 Timeline of relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the Freemasons web mit edu dryfoo Masonry Cambridge MA Gary L Dryfoos Archived from the original on 2012 10 24 Masonic Information Center August 1998 December 1993 Statement on Freemasonry and Religion Press release Rev ed Burtonsville MD Masonic Service Association of North America Archived from the original on 2006 11 06 Retrieved 2016 09 16 McFeely Tom 2006 12 19 Vatican backs Call to Action excommunications National Catholic Register Includes contribution by Catholic News Service Circle Media ISSN 0027 8920 Archived from the original on 2012 09 18 McInvale Reid c 1992 presented 1992 06 13 Roman Catholic Church law regarding Freemasonry Transactions Waco TX Texas Lodge of Research A F amp A M 27 OCLC 10269407 Archived from the original on 1999 01 27 via a personal website Melton J Gordon ed 2009 Western esoteric family I ancient wisdom Melton s encyclopedia of American religions 8th ed Detroit Gale pp 687 700 ISBN 9780787663841 Morrissey F G 2003 Pronouncements papal and curial In Carson Thomas et al eds New Catholic encyclopedia Vol 11 2nd ed Detroit Gale pp 747 748 ISBN 9780787676940 Paul VI Pope 1965 12 07 Mirificus eventus vatican va in Latin Archived from the original on 2016 04 02 Retrieved 2016 09 06 1966 05 03 Summi Dei beneficio vatican va in Latin Archived from the original on 2015 07 10 Retrieved 2016 09 06 1966 06 15 De Episcoporum Muneribus vatican va in Latin Archived from the original on 2015 07 10 Retrieved 2016 09 08 1966 08 06 Ecclesiae Sanctae vatican va Archived from the original on 2015 01 29 Retrieved 2016 09 12 Peters Edward N ed 2001 The 1917 or Pio Benedictine code of canon law in English translation with extensive scholarly apparatus Translated by Peters Edward N San Francisco Ignatius Press ISBN 9780898708318 2005 12 28 Fake priests canonlaw info blog s l Edward Peters Archived from the original on 2006 02 07 Retrieved 2016 07 09 2015 11 02 A glance back at a forgotten canonical category canonlawblog wordpress com blog s l Edward Peters Archived from the original on 2015 11 21 Retrieved 2016 09 13 Pius VII Pope 1751 Ecclesiam a Jesu Christo lycos fr in French Archived from the original on 7 March 2004 Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace 2004 Compendium of the social doctrine of the Church Reprint ed Vatican City Libreria Editrice Vaticana published 2005 ISBN 9788820977160 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a website ignored help Quigley Joseph 1926 Condemned societies unpublished dissertation Washington DC Catholic University of America This unpublished 1926 dissertation and Quigley s published 1927 dissertation are both cited in Macdonald 1946 nbsp One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from this source which is in the public domain Quigley Joseph 1927 Condemned societies JCD Canon Law Studies Vol 46 Washington DC Catholic University of America hdl 2027 mdp 39015033865620 OCLC 603022188 Ravasi Gianfranco 2016 02 14 Cari fratelli massoni PDF Il Sole 24 Ore in Italian Milan Il Sole p 29 ISSN 0391 786X Archived PDF from the original on 2016 03 20 Retrieved 2016 08 22 via grandeoriente it Scottish Rite Cathedral Assn of Los Angeles v City of Los Angeles 67 Cal Rptr 3d 207 Cal App 4th 2007 In light of the Masonic practices and principles we see no principled way to distinguish pursuit of these Masonic principles and forms of religious worship from more widely acknowledged modes of religious exercise In fn Although Freemasonry does not identify itself as a religion it plainly fosters principles and practices that resemble religious exercise under two tests used to determine qualification as a religion Stemper William H Jr Beck Guy L 2005 Freemasons In Jones Lindsay ed Encyclopedia of religion Vol 5 2nd ed Detroit Macmillan Reference USA pp 3193 3199 ISBN 9780028657332 via Gale Virtual Reference Library Suchecki Zbigniew August September 2007 Is Freemasonry incompatible with the Catholic faith Inside the Vatican Interview Interviewed by Redzioch Wlodzimierz New Hope KY Urbi et Orbi Communications pp 44 45 ISSN 1068 8579 Archived from the original on 2014 03 30 Retrieved 2016 07 10 via catholicculture org Taves Ann Kinsella Michael 2014 2013 Hiding in plain sight the organizational forms of unorganized religion In Sutcliffe Steven J Gilhus Ingvild Saelid eds New Age spirituality rethinking religion London Routledge ISBN 9781317546245 Vatican II 1964 11 21 Lumen gentium a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a website ignored help 1965 10 28 Christus Dominus a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a website ignored help 1965 12 07 Gaudium et spes a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a website ignored help Whalen William J 1967 Freemasonry In McDonald William J ed New Catholic encyclopedia Vol 6 1st ed New York McGraw Hill pp 132 139 OCLC 174793343 The 2nd edition published in 2002 does not contain a Freemasonry article Whalen William A 1985 06 27 The pastoral problem of masonic membership Report commissioned by the Pastoral Research and Practices Committee of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops CNS Documentary Service Archived from the original on 2016 07 09 via catholicculture org Woywod Stanislaus 1948a 1943 Smith Callistus ed A practical commentary on the Code of canon law Vol 1 Rev and enl ed New York J F Wagner hdl 2027 mdp 35112104152493 OCLC 746242376 1948b 1943 Smith Callistus ed A practical commentary on the Code of canon law Vol 2 Rev and enl ed New York J F Wagner hdl 2027 mdp 35112104152501 OCLC 746242376 Ban on Freemasonry reconfirmed The Tablet London 1983 12 10 pp 1210 1211 ISSN 0039 8837 Archived from the original on 2016 07 22 Retrieved 2016 07 22 Ban on Masons reaffirmed The Tablet London 1985 03 09 p 251 ISSN 0039 8837 Archived from the original on 2015 10 04 Retrieved 2016 07 14 Bishop at Masonic Lodge The Tablet London 1971 07 17 p 705 ISSN 0039 8837 Archived from the original on 2016 09 09 Retrieved 2016 09 09 Canon Law regarding Freemasonry 1917 1983 freemasonry bcy ca Vancouver Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon A F amp A M 2001 03 16 Archived from the original on 2002 01 05 Retrieved 2006 04 09 Change on Masonry denied The Tablet London 1968 03 23 p 291 ISSN 0039 8837 Archived from the original on 2015 09 11 Retrieved 2016 09 08 Clarification concerning status of Catholics becoming Freemasons ewtn com Irondale AL Eternal Word Television Network Archived from the original on 1999 11 28 Retrieved 2011 10 16 Clarification on Masons The Tablet London 1968 05 18 p 509 ISSN 0039 8837 Archived from the original on 2015 09 11 Retrieved 2016 09 06 English Catholics and Freemasonry The Tablet London 1974 11 23 p 1149 ISSN 0039 8837 Archived from the original on 2016 09 06 Retrieved 2016 09 06 Freemasonry your questions answered ugle org uk London United Grand Lodge of England 2002 Archived from the original on 2004 01 28 French priest defrocked after refusing to forsake Freemasonry france24 com Paris France 24 Agence France Presse 2013 05 25 Archived from the original on 2013 05 25 Retrieved 2016 07 17 Go ahead for Catholic Masons The Tablet London 1968 03 16 p 267 ISSN 0039 8837 Archived from the original on 2016 09 06 Retrieved 2016 09 06 Masonic lodge membership is gravely sinful Vatican official says catholicculture org Manassas VA Trinity Communications Catholic World News 2007 03 05 Archived from the original on 2011 06 10 Masons amp Communists The Tablet London 1973 12 15 p 1210 ISSN 0039 8837 Archived from the original on 2016 09 08 Retrieved 2016 09 08 Rappel des valeurs de la laicite Reminder of the values of secularism godf org Press release in French Paris Grand Orient de France 2007 11 09 Archived from the original on 2007 10 14 Regent restates Vatican s anti Masonry position says its philosophies are incompatible with church zenit org New York Innovative Media Zenit News Agency 2007 03 02 Archived from the original on 2007 03 06 Relations with the Roman Catholic Church Focus newsletter Burtonsville MD Masonic Service Association of North America Masonic Information Center April 2006 Archived from the original on 2008 07 24 Retrieved 2016 07 31 The Masons and the Church The Tablet London 1968 03 30 p 322 ISSN 0039 8837 Archived from the original on 2015 09 12 Retrieved 2016 09 08 Further reading editCondon Edward F 2015 Heresy by association the canonical prohibition of Freemasonry in history and in the current law J C D thesis Washington DC Catholic University of America hdl 1961 cuislandora 28291 Gray David 2020 The Catholic Catechism on Freemasonry A Theological and Historical Treatment on the Catholic Church s Prohibition Against Freemasonry and its Appendant Masonic Bodies Belleville Illinois Saint Dominic s Media Inc p 298 ISBN 978 0 578 64213 0 Fassino Nico 2023 05 23 When Catholics could be Masons The Pillar Retrieved 2023 11 18 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Papal ban of Freemasonry amp oldid 1188570849, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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