Papal ban of Freemasonry

TheCatholic Churchfirst prohibited Catholics from membership inMasonicorganizations and othersecret societiesin 1738. Since then, at least elevenpopeshave made pronouncements about the incompatibility of Catholic doctrines andFreemasonry.

From 1738 until 1983, Catholics who publicly associated with, or publicly supported, Masonic organizations were censured with automaticexcommunication.Since 1983, the prohibition on membership exists in a different form.Although there was some confusion about membership following the 1962–1965Second 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 1983Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith's (CDF)Declaration on Masonic associations,states that "faithful who enroll in Masonic associations are in a state ofgrave sinand may not receiveHoly Communion"and membership in Masonic associations is prohibited.

The most recent officialHoly Seedocuments about the "incompatibility of Freemasonry with the Catholic faith" were issued in 1985,and in November 2023 by theDicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.

History

In eminenti apostolatus

1884 satirical political cartoon fromPuckshowsPope Leo XIIIat war with Freemasonry

In 1736, theInquisitioninvestigated a Masonic lodge inFlorence,Italy,which it condemned in June 1737. The lodge had originally been founded in 1733 by theEnglishFreemasonCharles Sackville, 2nd Duke of Dorset,but acceptedItalianmembers, such as the lodge's secretaryTommaso Crudeli.Also in 1736, on 26 December,Andrew Michael Ramsaydelivered an oration to a masonic meeting in Paris on the eve of the election ofCharles Radclyffeas Grand Master of the French Freemasons. In March 1737 he sent an edited copy to the chief minister, CardinalAndré-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.This ban, and the Italian investigation led,in 1738, toPope Clement XIIpromulgatingIn 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 ofnatural 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. "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."

Quo graviora

Pope Leo XIIattempted to assess the extent and influence of anti-social organizations.He inserted and confirmed the texts ofClement XII (1738),Benedict XIV (1751),andPius VII (1821)in his 1825apostolic constitutionQuo graviora,"to condemn them in such a way that it would be impossible to claim exemption from the condemnation".

Reiteration of ban on membership by subsequent popes

Pope Leo XIIIauthor ofHumanum genus,which reiterated the inability of Catholics to become Freemasons

The ban inIn eminenti apostolatuswas reiterated and expanded upon byBenedict XIV (1751),Pius VII (1821),Leo XII (1825),Pius VIII (1829),Gregory XVI (1832),Pius IX (1846, 1849, 1864, 1865, 1869, 1873).

Humanum genus

"The decisive impetus for the Catholic anti-Masonic movement" wasHumanum genus,promulgated byPope Leo XIIIin 1884.Leo XIII wrote that his primary objection to Masonry was naturalism,his accusations were aboutpantheism,rationalism,and naturalism; but not aboutSatanism.Leo XIII analysed continental Grand Orient type philosophical "principles and practices."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.Leo XIII "emphasises that 'the ultimate and principle aim' of Masonry 'was to destroy to its very foundations any civil or religious order established throughoutChristendom,and bring about in its place a new order founded on laws drawn out of the entrails of naturalism'. "

Praeclara gratulationis publicae

InPraeclara 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."

1917 code of canon law

Under1917Code 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(canon2335),deprived ofmarriage in the Catholic Church,excluded from Catholic associations,deprived of Catholic funeral rites,invalidated fromnovitiate,invalidated reception of personaljus patronatus,with additional penalties against clergy, religious, and members of secular institutes.

Under1917 CIC,books which argue that "Masonic sects" and similar groups are "useful and not harmful to the Church and civil society" were prohibited.

Uncertainty following the Second Vatican Council

The Catholic Church began an evaluation of its understanding of Masonry during(but not at) Vatican II.Throughout thejubileeof 1966,Pope Paul VIgranted every confessor thefacultyto absolve censures and penalties of1917Code of Canon Law's canon 2335 incurred bypenitentswho completely separated themselves from Masonic association and promised to repair and prevent, as far as possible, any scandal and damage they caused.

After a four-year investigation in fiveScandinavian Bishops' Conference(CES) countries,theCESdecided in 1967 to apply the 1966 post-conciliar norms inDe Episcoporum Muneribus,"which empowers bishops in special cases todispensefrom certain injunctions of Canon Law. "TheCESpermitted, within its jurisdiction, converts to Catholicism to retain theirSwedish Ritemembership,"but only with the specific permission of that person's bishop."

In early 1968,The Tabletreported 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 "theCDF'let it be known that Catholics joining the Freemasons are no longerautomaticallyexcommunicated. 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. "These reports apparently caused consternation in the Vatican, and were quickly corrected.The Holy See publicly said that1917 CICcanon 2335 was not abrogated,and denied it planned to "change profoundly" its historic prohibition against Catholics joining Masonic groups,althoughconfidential sourcessaid "a change in attitude in the future was considered possible."

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 CardinalFranz König,president of theSecretariat for Non-Believers,at Vienna in 1968. Later, a commission of Catholic Church and Masonic representatives conducted a dialogue and produced the 1970Lichtenau Declaration,an interpretative statement directed at Paul VI; CardinalFranjo Šeper,prefect of theCDF;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.

In 1971, BishopDaniel Pezeril,auxiliary bishop of Paris, accepted an invitation from theGrande Loge de Franceto lecture.This was the first official reception of a Catholic bishop after 1738.

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

TheCatholic 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.TheCDF (1974)wrote that many bishops had asked it about how to weight and interpret1917 CICcanon 2335. The divergent replies it gave reflected different situations in various countries. TheCDFreiterated that1917 CICcanons which establish a penalty are subject to strict interpretation,so canon 2335 applied only to Catholics who were members of Masonic associations that machinate against the Church.TheCBCEWinterpretedCDF 1974as instructing bishops that1917 CICcanon 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."So, theCBCEWdefined 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."

German Bishops' Conference

In 1980, after six years of dialogue with representatives of theUnited Grand Lodges of Germanyand investigation of Masonic rituals,theDBKproduced a report on Freemasonry listing twelve conclusions.

Among theDBK's conclusions were that Freemasonry denies revelation,and objective truth.They also alleged that religious indifference is fundamental to Freemasonry,and that Freemasonry isDeist,and that it denies the possibility of divine revelation,so threatening the respect due to the Church's teaching office.Thesacramentalcharacter ofMasonic ritualswas seen as signifying an individual transformation,offering an alternative path to perfectionand having a total claim on the life of a memberIt concludes by stating that all lodges are forbidden to Catholics,including Catholic-friendly lodges.

Šeper's clarification

The 1981CDFDeclaration concerning status of Catholics becoming Freemasonssaid that the 1974CDFreply had "given rise to erroneous and tendentious interpretations."The 1981CDFdeclaration also affirmed that the prohibition against Catholics joining Masonic groups had not changed and remained in effect.

1983 code of canon law

The Catholic Church abrogated and replaced1917Code of Canon Law(1917 CIC), with present1983Code of Canon Law(1983 CIC) whichtook effectin November 1983.1917 CICcanon2335 developed into the1983 CIC's canon 1374.Unlike the abrogated1917 CICcanon 2335,however,1983 CICcanon 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;one who promotes or takes office in such an association is to be punished with aninterdict.

This omission led some Catholics and Freemasons, especially in America, to believe that the ban on Catholics becoming Freemasons might have changed,and caused confusion in the church's hierarchy.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.

The Catholic Church uses two parallel codes ofcanon law:the1983 CICin theLatin Churchof the Catholic Church and the 1990Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches(1990 CCEO) in thesui iurisEastern Catholic Churchesof the Catholic Church. 1983 CICcanon 1374 and1990 CCEOcanon 1448 §2 are parallel canons. 1983 CICcanon 1374 differentiates between being a member of a forbidden association and being an officer or promoter but1990 CCEOcanon 1448 §2 does not.

Declaration on Masonic Associations

Pope John Paul II,who personally approved the 1983Declaration on Masonic Associationsfrom theCongregation for the Doctrine of the Faith

In 1983, CardinalJoseph Ratzinger,prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, with the personal approval of PopeJohn Paul II,issued aDeclaration on Masonic Associations,which reiterated the Church's objections to Freemasonry.The 1983 declaration states that "faithful who enroll in Masonic associations are in a state ofgrave sinand may not receiveHoly 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.CDF 1983"stipulated that neither"CDF 1974norCDF 1981"allowed an individual bishop or bishops' conferences to permit Catholics to belong to masonic lodges."

Continued ban after the declaration

AUSCCBcommittee concluded in its 1985Letter to U.S. Bishops Concerning Masonrythat "the principles and basic rituals of Masonry embody a naturalistic religion active participation in which is incompatible with Christian faith and practice.""Those who knowingly embrace" masonic "principles are committing serious sin" and,according to Law's parenthetical commentary on Whalen, that offense might be punishable under canon 1364.According to that canon, an apostate, heretic, or schismatic incurs alatae sententiaeexcommunication and clerics can be punished with additional expiatory penalties including dismissal from the clerical state.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.Nevertheless, citingCDF (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."Every delict in canon law is a sin.The "distinction between penal law and morality" is, according to theUSCCBcommittee, 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.""Referring specifically to the secrecy of masonic organisations,"CDF 1985"reiterated the ban on masonic membership" inCDF 1983.According toMcInvale (1992),theCDF (1985)"argues that Masonry establishes a relativistic symbolic concept of morality unacceptable to Catholicism."

In 1996, BishopFabian Bruskewitz,of theRoman Catholic Diocese of Lincoln,legislated that Catholic members of masonic associations in the diocese, incur alatae sententiaecensure of a one-month interdict during which they are forbidden to receive holy communion; those who continue membership incur alatae sententiaecensure of excommunication.Those excommunications which were challenged through a process of canonical recourse were affirmed by a judgment of the Holy See in 2006.

In 2000, David Patterson, executive secretary of the Masonic Service Bureau ofLos Angeles,asked CardinalRoger Mahony"whether a practicing Catholic may join a Masonic Lodge." Father Thomas Anslow, Judicial Vicar of theRoman 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."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."Anslow publicly retracted his 2000 letter in 2002, with the explanation that his analysis was faulty.He wrote that, according to theCDF (1985)reflection about theCDF (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. "

In 2002, theCatholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippinesdecreed 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 with1983 CICcanon 1347,"is to be punished with an interdict," in accord with1983 CICcanon 1374,including: exclusion from receiving the sacraments;prohibition against acting as a sponsor in Baptism and Confirmation; prohibition against being a member of any parish or diocesan structure; and denial ofCatholic funeralrites, unless some signs of repentance before death were shown, regardless, to avoid publicscandalin 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.
• a Catholic who is a Freemason, "notoriously adhering to the Masonic vision," is automatically excommunicated under canon 1364 and is automatically censured in accord with1983 CICcanon 1331
• a Freemason is prohibited from acting a witness tomarriage in the Catholic Church,and prohibited from being a member of anyassociations of the faithful

The Masonic Information Center pointed out in 2006 thatCDF 1983,which prohibits membership in Masonic associations, "remains in effect."

BishopGianfranco Girotti,regentof theApostolic Penitentiary,told the 2007Freemasonry and the Catholic Churchconference, at thePontifical Theological Faculty of St. Bonaventurein Rome, that doctrine has not changed.Girotti, quoting theCDF 1983declaration, reiterated that masonic philosophy is incompatible with Catholic faith.Likewise, reacting to the news of an 85-year-old Catholic priest,Rosario Francesco Esposito,becoming a member in a Masonic lodge,Girotti told Vatican Radio in May 2007 that theCDF 1983declaration "remains in force today."Girotti called on priests who had declared themselves to be Freemasons to be disciplined by their direct superiors.

In 2013, a Catholic priest atMegève,France, was "stripped of his functions at the request of the"CDFfor being an active member of theGrand Orient de France.

In 2023, theDicastery for the Doctrine of the Faithreiterated that Catholics are forbidden from joining Freemasonry, quoting the 1983 Ratzinger document. The decision was signed by CardinalVíctor Manuel Fernández,prefect for the Dicastery, and approved byPope Francis.

Current position of the Church on Catholics joining the fraternity

The Catholic Church's current norm on Masonic associations is the 1983CDFDeclaration on Masonic associations.The 1983CDFdeclaration states that Catholics "who enroll in Masonic associations are in a state of grave sin and may not receive Holy Communion."

The 1983CDFdeclaration clarified the omission of association names in1983 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."1983 CICcanon 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."This contrasted with the1917 Code of Canon Law(1917 CIC), which explicitly declared that joining Freemasonry entailed automatic excommunication. The omission of association names, like Masonic associations, from the1983 CICprompted 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.The 1983CDFdeclaration 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.

The "irreconcilable principles" that the Church believes Freemasonry possesses include a "deistic God,"naturalism,and religiousindifferentism.

Near the time that the 1983CDFdeclaration was released, bishops' conferences in Germany and America also released independent reports on the question of Freemasonry. The conclusions of theGerman Bishops' Conference(DBK) in its 1980 report on Masonry and cited by theU.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops(USCCB) in its1985 letterincluded 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."

Some of the doctrines are incorporated intoCatholic social teachingwhich are, in theCompendium 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."

According to CardinalGianfranco Ravasi,president of thePontifical Council for Culture,DBK (1980)andCBCP (2010)"are significant texts as they address the theoretical and practical reasons for the irreconcilability of masonry and Catholicism as concepts of truth,religion,God, man and the world, spirituality, ethics, rituality and tolerance. "

Freemasonry's position on Catholics joining the fraternity

Masonic bodies do not ban Catholics from joining if they wish to do so.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.

Catholic fraternal societies

Freemasonry was an important catalyst in the founding of theKnights of Columbusand theKnights of Peter Claverin the United Statesand theKnights of the Southern Crossin 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).

Michael McGivney,a Catholic priest inNew 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.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 theirAmerican Catholicheritage.McGivney was beatified by Pope Francis in 2020.

The KoC, though acceptingAfrican-Americanmembers early on in its history, soon came to identify in many of its councils with segregationist andanti-blackviewpoints, leading to the denial of membership to many prospective black candidates. As a result, theJosephitesfounded theKnights of Peter Claverin 1909, which as of 2021 is the largest and oldestBlack Catholicorganization in America.

See also

• Anticlericalism and Freemasonry
• Anti-Masonry
• Nicodemites
• Christianity and Freemasonry
• Papal documents relating to Freemasonry
• Religious Issue(Brazil)

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Further reading

• 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.ISBN978-0-578-64213-0.
• Fassino, Nico (2023-05-23)."When Catholics could be Masons(?)".The Pillar.Retrieved2023-11-18.