Category: Freemasonry and Catholicism

Church teaching on the incompatibility of Catholicism and Masonry

Historic Debate on Church-Masonry Relationship in Milan

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from “il messagGero” by Franca Giansoldati

All eyes are on the Church-Masonry confrontation organized in the shadow of the Milan cathedral. The Milanese archbishop, Mario Delpini and the Grand Master of the Grand Orient, Stefano Bisi will be the protagonists of an open discussion on a controversial relationship that has been dragging on for centuries. Two months after the declaration on the absolute incompatibility for Catholics to be part of Masonic lodges («On a doctrinal level active membership is forbidden because of the irreconcilability of the doctrine») signed by Pope Francis at the foundation of the Ambrosianum, an event defined as “historic” by the Masons was organized. Alongside Monsignor Mario Delpini there will also be the president of the Pontifical Academy of Theology Monsignor Antonio Stagliano’ and Cardinal Francesco Coccopalmerio, former president of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts. On the website of the Grand Orient it is explained that they will openly discuss how the Church formulated the excommunication under the pontificate of Clement XII up to the present day. Bisi’s report is titled: “Freemasonry between Ratzinger and Bergoglio”.

The last Vatican condemnation dates back to last November. It was raised by a Filipino bishop Julito Cortes rather worried about the continuous increase of faithful enrolled in Freemasonry in his diocese and turned to Rome for guidance on how to deal with the phenomenon from a pastoral point of view. Over the centuries the pronouncements have been different and always with negative connotations. In total there are about six hundred: from the excommunication bull ‘In eminenti apostolatus specula’ (1738) of Clement XII to the important declaration of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith of 1983, drawn up by the then Cardinal Ratzinger and approved by Saint John Paul II.

A declaration, the latter, which reaffirmed «the negative judgment of the Church towards Masonic associations, since their principles have always been considered irreconcilable with the doctrine and therefore membership in them remains prohibited». Pope Francis has also expressed himself several times in critical tones. Talking about the many saints who enriched social life in Turin in the nineteenth century, Bergoglio in 2015, during his Piedmontese trip, emphasized: «In this land – and this I also said to the Salesian Family – at the end of the nineteenth century there were the worst conditions for the growth of youth: there was full-blown Freemasonry, even the Church could do nothing, there were the priest-eaters, there were also the Satanists… It was one of the ugliest moments and places in the history of Italy. But if you want to do a nice homework, go and look for how many saints and how many saints were born at that time! Why? Because they realized that they had to go against the current compared to that culture, to that way of life».

Also in 2015, in Avvenire, a letter from the Grand Master, Bisi, was published, raising the reasons for the incompatibility between the Church and Freemasonry. The occasion to address such an uncomfortable topic was a conference organized by the Grand Orient of Italy in Syracuse at which the then bishop of Noto, Monsignor Antonio Staglianò, had spoken. Bisi explained to Avvenire that the Masons «do not have to convince anyone» but certainly the «Freemasonry will never and never endorse dogmas and fideistic axioms that are far from its centuries-old tradition».

To the letter responded the then director of the newspaper of the Cei, Marco Tarquinio who, while praising the dialogue, clarified that there were two opposing visions. “If the Masons were once excommunicated ipso facto by the Church, over time the judgment seems to have mitigated a bit. In November 1983 the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith published a declaration on Masonic lodges. The then prefect Joseph Ratzinger specified that membership constitutes objectively a serious sin and that members of a Masonic association cannot access Holy Communion. Hence the conviction that there is a fundamental incompatibility between the principles of Freemasonry and those of the Christian faith».

The controversies then continued with Monsignor Nunzio Galantino (at the time secretary of the Cei) who from the pages of Famiglia Cristiana had repeated that «everything that by individuals or groups attacks the common good for the benefit of a few cannot be accepted» and condemned those priests or those bishops who had joined the Free Masonry. Bisi’s immediate reply was: «Those of the general secretary of the Italian Episcopal Conference seemed to us very heavy and inappropriate words for a high representative of the Vatican who should have great familiarity in measuring the verb with wisdom, balance and extreme caution before accusing so glaringly and personally excommunicating Freemasonry».

A fascinating article about Freemasons & Catholics from Pillar Catholic

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when catholics could be masons by nico fassino at pillar catholic

For hundreds of years, the Catholic Church has prohibited its members from joining Masonic lodges.

Freemasonry has been denounced by numerous popes, beginning with Pope Clement XII in 1738, on the grounds that it promotes religious indifferentism.

But after the Second Vatican Council, many Catholics around the world suddenly became confused about whether it was permissible for Catholics to become Masons. 

From the Catholic Transcript (newspaper of the Archdiocese of Hartford), September 27, 1974, page 3. Scan via Catholic News Archive, public domain.

In fact, there was a seven-year stretch in the 1970s when the English-speaking Catholic world was taught by its bishops that, although it was not encouraged, it was in fact permitted to become a Mason, as long as certain conditions were met. 

Then, at the end of those seven years, these Catholics were suddenly informed that joining the Masons was actually still forbidden under pain of excommunication – and always had been.

That period in history is all but forgotten today. But a survey of Catholic newspapers from the time period offers a glimpse into the confusion that surrounded the subject of Masonry in the American Catholic world 50 years ago.

Changes anticipated: 1971-1974

While work was underway on the revised Code of Canon Law in Rome in the early 1970s, it became clear that there was widespread anticipation that the Church would soon change her teaching on Catholic participation in Freemasonry. 

In August 1971, National Catholic News Service – the news service of the U.S. bishops – issued a lengthy report which predicted that the Church would soon modify her teaching on the matter. 

Headlined, “Catholic-Masonic Relations Enter Friendly New Era,” the report included commentary from leading experts in Rome, including Fr. Jean Beyer, SJ – Dean of Faculty of Canon Law at the Gregorian University in Rome and a consultor to the Vatican Commission for the Revision of the Code of Canon Law. The syndicated story ran in official diocesan newspapers throughout the nation. 

The Catholic Transcript (newspaper of the Archdiocese of Hartford), August 20, 1971, page 9. Scan via Catholic News Archive, public domain.

Two years later, in June 1973, National Catholic News Service again reported that Church officials were expecting and planning for a change in Church teaching. 

The article, headlined “Church ban on Freemasonry expected to be relaxed,” revealed that the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales had sent letters to all priests in their country, informing them that some “relaxation” in the ban on Freemasonry was expected soon. 

According to the letter from the English hierarchy, “it seems probable that each national bishops’ conference will be left to decide whether Masons will have to resign membership in being received into the Church, and also whether requests from laymen [to] join the Masons may be granted.”

The National Catholic News Service (by the US Bishops Conference), June 27, 1973, wire copy page 1. Scan via Catholic News Archive, public domain.

This news was widely printed in official diocesan newspapers throughout the country and continued to be discussed in newspapers and clerical journals between the summer of 1973 and spring 1974.

The growing consensus — as promoted by the U.S. bishops’ news service — was that the old prohibition would soon be changed.

The St. Louis Review (newspaper of the Archdiocese of St. Louis), December 7, 1973, page 9. Scan via Catholic News Archive, public domain.

Continue reading this article at Pillar Catholic:

Note regarding the main image: it was found at this site and is obviously taken more recently than the 1970″s!!

Freemasons at Fatima in the 1920’s

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From “fatima in twilight” by Mark fellows

“Many of the visitors to Cova da Iria also visited Aljustrel to talk to, or pray with, or plead intercession from the three seers. Although the apparitions had stopped, the events at Fatima had acquired a momentum of their own. The attraction increased over the years, despite violent attacks in the Masonic press, the presence of armed troops at Cova da Iria, and the fact that within four years of the last apparition, none of the little seers lived at Fatima anymore.

“Back at Lisbon, Freemason and Editor-In-Chief of ‘O Seculo’, Avelino de Almeida, was raked over the coals by his fellow leftists for daring to report the miracle of the sun as it actually occurred. It was thought that such a public concession to reality only encouraged the forces of reaction, and consequently imperiled the revolutionary cause in Portugal. In Ourem, no one needed to instruct Arturo Santos (“the Tinsmith”) about the party line. To his dying day he denied that anything miraculous had ever occurred at Cova da Iria – although he never set foot there. On October 23, 1917, however, some of his henchmen did.

“The Tinsmith’s agents were joined by members of the Grand Orient Lodge of Santarem (about forty miles south of Fatima). Under cover of darkness they entered Cova da Iria to cut down the holm oak tree, and remove the rustic wooden arch built over it, from which hung lanterns perpetually lit in honor of the heavenly Lady. They also took a table and the small altar resting on it, and an image of the Blessed Virgin. The carload of booty was driven to Santarem, where the thieves displayed the stolen items the next day. For a small fee, one could view the arch and a small hatcheted tree, and receive a Masonic harangue on medieval superstition. That night the Freemasons staged a public procession with their display, “singing blasphemous litanies to the accompaniment of drums.

“Adding salt to the wound was the fact that the Portuguese government had outlawed Catholic religious processions. The Masonic “procession” was so fanatical in its anti-Catholicism that even the secular press was critical of the event. On the morning of October 24 Maria Carreira hurried to Cova da Iria. Her heart sunk when she saw the arch and lanterns missing, then rose when she saw the little stump of the holm oak tree still sticking up out of the ground. The vandals had cut down the wrong tree.

“Lucy went to investigate too. “I then asked Our Lady to forgive these poor men,” she wrote in her Second memoir,” and I prayed for their conversion.” The next ploy of the “poor men” was to post armed cavalry around Cova da Iria to intimidate pilgrims. The crowds only seemed to increase.

“Publicly dismissing the apparitions at Fatima as a “shameful spectacle staged as a ridiculous comedy” ( as one hyperventilating Brother put it), an implacable hatred of the one true God gave Freemasonry no rest. Truth too tell, the revolution in Portugal was menaced. But it was not, as the Masons supposed, the dark plotting of the Jesuits or Portuguese clerics that would stall the force of progress. Most clergy maintained a prudent silence regarding the apparitions, and more than a few were downright skeptical. Rather, it was the prayers, penances and sacrifices inspired by the beautiful Lady at Cova da Iria that posed the real threat to Masonic authority. Before this onslaught of religious fervour Freemasonry could only sputter impotently, and flee.

“On December 8, 1917, the Blessed Virgin began to grind Her heal on the spiteful head of the revolution. Portugal’s government was overthrown by one of its own, a Freemason named Sidonio Pais. The day after his coup d’etat Pais allowed the Portuguese bishops to return from exile. Two weeks later he allowed worship in the churches the revolution had confiscated from the Church. Diplomatic relations with the Vatican were reopened, and other measures were taken to allow freedom of worship in Catholic Portugal. Obviously Pais was no ordinary Freemason. He knew that by his actions he was signing his own death warrant. It is said he felt protected by the Blessed Virgin, and even received “encouraging visions” from Her. Had he lived long enough, it is likely he would have converted. But he had made himself a marked man, and he knew the Masonic reputation for vengeance was justified.

“Nevertheless, Pais persisted. His efforts to allow the Jesuits to re-enter Portugal were rewarded by an assassination attempt. Undaunted, Pais had the police raid the Masonic headquarters in Lisbon. On December 14, 1918, he attended Mass for fallen Portuguese soldiers. Afterwards, he was gunned down at a train station in Lisbon. He died there, his body riddled with bullets, a crucifix resting on his bloody chest.

It was another glorious victory for the champions of liberty, equality, and fraternity. Yet Freemasonry had only killed a messenger; they were powerless against the message, and they knew it. Their days were numbered.”

from fatima in twilight by mark fellows. Marmion publications, niagra falls. 2003.

Masons involved in the Synod on Synodality

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Well, I guess it’s not really surprising.

During Australia’s Plenary Council process, there were lapsed Catholics, alphabet-soup Catholics, Protestants, Moslems, and even atheists all giving their two-cents’ worth on the Church. So it stands to reason that somewhere along the line, Freemasons would want to have some input into the Church’s future – especially seeing as so many of them occupy important positions in the hierarchy these days.

From FSSPX NEWS:

“The Conference of Bishops of the Philippines (CBCP) has just issued a statement reminding the faithful of the impossibility of a Catholic being a part of Freemasonry. A welcome clarification, as it appears that Freemasons in the archipelago had been participating in the preparatory work for the Synod on Synodality.

The declaration of the Filipino bishops is part of the context of the synod organized in the archipelago, as everywhere else in the world. The debate is indeed more and more lively on the participation of “Catholic Freemasons” in synodal consultations.

“We thought that the teachings of the Catholic Church on the matter had evolved. Since several participants in the Synod are Freemasons, we thought that the Church had relaxed its rules on joining Masonry and participating in activities of the Catholic Church,” explains Gloria Buencamino.

For this parishioner from Quezon City, the episcopal development is surprising, because in some churches, “Catholic Freemasons help the priest distribute communion; in our parish alone we have two and they were delegated to the Synod on Synodality. They are good and pious Catholics,” she says.

“Good and pious Catholics?”

Well, of course they are. At least Freemasons believe in the Real Presence, (albeit only in order to profane the Lord) which is more than can be said for the majority of non-Mason Catholics.

As usual, the Masons themselves have no problem with Church membership: it is only the Catholics who are bigoted and exclusive. From the article:

… Frank Munez hosts a lodge in Manila. For this 61-year-old Mason, there is no opposition between Catholicism and Masonry: “It is above all a fraternal community. What’s wrong with that? We have nothing against God, in fact, we encourage our members to be men of faith and good citizens,” he told Ucanews.

One further reason why Masons want to be involved in the Synod? I’ll give you a clue. It rhymes with Synodality. (And here’s what I wrote about it a little while ago)

Pope Francis on the spot over Freemasonry

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SOURce: LifeSiteNews

Italian Freemasons have said they will appeal to Pope Francis for support, after the local Catholic bishop re-iterated the Catholic Church’s condemnation on Freemasonry in light of renewed Masonic activity in the area.

Local Freemasons in the Archdiocese of Chieti-Vasto in eastern Italy have declared that they will seek “rapid and active intervention” from Pope Francis, after Archbishop Bruno Forte reminded the archdiocese of the Catholic Church’s strict ban on participating in Masonic activities.

On February 7, Forte issued a letter to his archdiocese in which he presented the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith’s (CDF) 1983 document on Masonry. 

Forte stated that: “the condemnation of Freemasonry remains unchanged; second, Catholics who belong to a lodge are in a state of grave sin and cannot take communion; third, no exceptions are allowed.”

His letter was prompted by renewed, public activities organized by Masons of the Sovereign Arabian Phoenix lodge in Forte’s archdiocese, including a conference at the Iacone hotel on “Francesco d’Assisi: mysticism or esotericism?”

Many locals protested the conference, calling the Masons “absolute evil.” The venerable master Ginevra Di Nicola stated that the protests represented “social hatred.” Di Nicola added that the Masons would “invite Bruno Forte to our next meeting.” 

“We are not a religious creed but we believe in a superior being whom we call the ‘great architect of the universe’ who created everything,” said Di Nicola. “We are a brotherhood that embraces every religious belief.”

Days later, Forte – who has led the archdiocese since 2004 – issued his letter which consisted chiefly of the text of the CDF’s 1983 document. That text – signed by then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger and approved by Pope John Paul II – reads:

Therefore, the Church’s negative judgment regarding Masonic associations remains unchanged, since their principles have always been considered irreconcilable with Church doctrine and therefore membership in them remains forbidden. The faithful who belong to Masonic associations are in a state of grave sin and cannot access Holy Communion.

The CDF’s ruling further adds that local bishops cannot issue documents which in some way differ from the firm line presented by the CDF regarding the Catholic Church’s relationship with Masonry. “It is not for local ecclesiastical authorities to pronounce on the nature of Masonic associations with a judgment that implies derogation from the above, and this is in line with the Declaration of this Holy Congregation of February 17, 1981.”

In response, the Masonic lodge declared that they would appeal to Pope Francis to intercede on their behalf against Forte. “We will turn to Pope Francis to ask for his swift and proactive intervention in this diatribe, which damages our honorability and, on balance, threatens our security,” Di Nicola told local news.

The Mason also directly quoted from Pope Francis’ 2020 encyclical Fratelli Tutti, citing paragraph 46: “It must be recognized that fanaticisms that lead to the destruction of others also have religious people as protagonists, not excluding Christians, who may participate in networks of verbal violence.”

Such a tactic is noteworthy: Francis’ Fratelli Tutti promotes a “Universal Brotherhood” and also links back to his controversial 2019 Abu Dhabi document on Human Fraternity. Both texts have been widely criticized by Catholics since their publication. Former Papal Nuncio to the U.S. Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò notably wrote that Francis’s concept of fraternity was “theologically blasphemous.”

A prominently vocal German priest also described the text as being interwoven with “Masonic” ideology. Francis’s push for religions to be on an equal footing, Father Frank Unterhalt noted was a key element of Masonic goals:

The striving for universal ecumenism of religions has always been a concern of Freemasonry on the way to its actual goal, namely to bring about the breakthrough of that self-constructed religion in which all human beings are supposedly in agreement.

Indeed, following Fratelli Tutti’s publication, it was welcomed by the Masonic Lodge of Spain, who stated it was “the latest encyclical” of Pope Francis in which he “embraces the Universal Fraternity, the great principle of Modern Freemasonry.”

Continue reading at LifeSiteNews:

Some Freemasons are more Catholic than the Pope

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This little story caught my eye: a non-denominational Christian pastor was expelled from his Masonic lodge for promoting same-sex marriage.

Once a Southern Baptist missionary, “Brother” Tag Thompson was running his own “non-creedal” church which had a particular outreach to the LGBTIQ community. Thompson had become interested in Freemasonry after reading the Da Vinci Code and joined after discovering Masonry’s supposed focus on exterior works such as helping the community and “fraternity”.

A Facebook post in which he offered to officiate at same-sex weddings drew the ire of some of his fellow Masons. Thompson had to face a tribunal of the Tennessee Freemasons and it was established that his behaviour violated their statutes: he was eventually thrown out, although some other Masonic lodges disagreed with the decision. Notably and unsurprisingly, these included California and Washington DC.

The conservative stance taken by the Tennessee Masons is quite a contrast to the attitude of our reigning pontiff who has an open-arms policy towards members of the LGBTIQ community – he has issued no condemnation of the German bishop attending a same-sex wedding, and has had little to say about the German church’s general promotion of same-sex unions. On top of that, the attention shown by the Pope to sodo-priest James Martin is nothing short of scandalous.

“Er, Jimmy, I get the the secret handshake but do you have to make it so obvious?”

So does this mean that Freemasons are becoming more virtuous or that this is evidence that they should be admitted into the Church? By no means at all!

Rather, it is simply another an indication that the human element of the Catholic Church is wallowing in the mire of corruption – so much so that even Masons are capable of making the Pope look bad.