Papal ban of Freemasonry

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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]

Contents

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

In eminenti apostolatus

1884 satirical political cartoon from Puck shows Pope Leo XIII at war with Freemasonry Two of a Kind by Joesph Keppler.jpg
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] [lower-alpha 2]

Quo graviora

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

Pope Leo XIII author of Humanum genus, which reiterated the inability of Catholics to become Freemasons Papa Leone XIII (1898).jpg
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). [lower-alpha 3]

Humanum genus

"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] [lower-alpha 4] 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

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

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] [lower-alpha 5]

Uncertainty following the Second Vatican Council

The Catholic Church began an evaluation of its understanding of Masonry during [40] (but not at [lower-alpha 6] ) Vatican II. [lower-alpha 7] 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 ] [lower-alpha 8] 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] [lower-alpha 9]

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

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] [lower-alpha 10]

Šeper's clarification

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

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; [lower-alpha 11] 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, [lower-alpha 12] and caused confusion in the church's hierarchy. [lower-alpha 13] 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. [lower-alpha 14]

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] [lower-alpha 15] 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

Pope John Paul II, who personally approved the 1983 Declaration on Masonic Associations from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith JohannesPaul2-portrait.jpg
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

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

The Catholic Church's current norm on Masonic associations is the 1983 CDF Declaration on Masonic associations . [91] [lower-alpha 16] 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. [lower-alpha 17] 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," [lower-alpha 18] naturalism, [86] and religious indifferentism. [lower-alpha 19]

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, [lower-alpha 20] religion, [lower-alpha 21] God, man and the world, spirituality, ethics, rituality and tolerance." [128]

Freemasonry's position on Catholics joining the fraternity

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

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

Notes

  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] [lower-alpha 1] 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]

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Humanum genus is a papal encyclical promulgated on 20 April 1884 by Pope Leo XIII.

In eminenti apostolatus specula is a papal bull issued by Pope Clement XII on 28 April 1738, banning Catholics from becoming Freemasons. It arose from Jacobite-Hanoverian rivalry on the continent.

Anti-Masonry is "avowed opposition to Freemasonry", which has led to multiple forms of religious discrimination, violent persecution, and suppression in some countries as well as in various organized religions. However, there is no homogeneous anti-Masonic movement. Anti-Masonry consists of radically differing criticisms from frequently incompatible political institutions and organized religions that oppose each other, and are hostile to Freemasonry in some form.

Latae sententiae and ferendae sententiae are ways sentences are imposed in the Catholic Church in its canon law.

The Declaration Concerning Status of Catholics Becoming Freemasons is a February 1981 declaration by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith under Cardinal Franjo Šeper which restated the Catholic Church's prohibition against Catholics becoming Freemasons.

The Letter to U.S. Bishops Concerning Masonry was a letter sent on April 19, 1985, by Bernard Francis Cardinal Law, Archbishop of Boston and chairman of the Committee on Pastoral Research and Practices of the United States Catholic Conference. The letter was intended to answer confusion about the admissibility of Masonic membership.

While many Christian denominations either allow or take no stance on their members joining Freemasonry, others discourage or prohibit their members from joining the fraternity.

The Declaration on Masonic Associations is a declaration by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith re-iterating the prohibition of Catholics from joining Masonic organizations. Its Latin title is Declaratio de associationibus massonicis. The document states that Catholics who join Masonic organizations are in a state of grave sin and may not receive Holy Communion. It was issued in 1983 by the prefect of the congregation, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, who became Pope Benedict XVI on April 19, 2005.

The canon law of the Catholic Church is "how the Church organizes and governs herself". It is the system of laws and ecclesiastical legal principles made and enforced by the hierarchical authorities of the Catholic Church to regulate its external organization and government and to order and direct the activities of Catholics toward the mission of the Church. It was the first modern Western legal system and is the oldest continuously functioning legal system in the West, while the unique traditions of Eastern Catholic canon law govern the 23 Eastern Catholic particular churches sui iuris.

Masonic landmarks are a set of principles that many Freemasons claim to be ancient and unchangeable precepts of Masonry. Issues of the "regularity" of a Freemasonic Lodge, Grand Lodge or Grand Orient are judged in the context of the landmarks. Because each Grand Lodge is self-governing, with no single body exercising authority over the whole of Freemasonry, the interpretations of these principles can and do vary, leading to controversies of recognition. Different Masonic jurisdictions have different landmarks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph Ratzinger as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith</span>

Joseph Ratzinger (1927–2022) was named by Pope John Paul II on 25 November 1981 as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) formerly known as the Holy Office and, especially around the 16th century, as the Roman Inquisition.

Continental Freemasonry, otherwise known as Liberal Freemasonry, Latin Freemasonry, and Adogmatic Freemasonry, includes the Masonic lodges, primarily on the European continent, that recognize the Grand Orient de France (GOdF) or belong to CLIPSAS, SIMPA, TRACIA, CIMAS, COMAM, CATENA, GLUA, or any of various other international organizations of Liberal, i.e., Continental Freemasonry. The larger number of Freemasons, most of whom live in the United States–where Regular Freemasonry holds a virtual monopoly–belong to Masonic lodges that recognize the United Grand Lodge of England and do not recognize Continental Freemasons, regarding them as "irregular".

Rosario Francesco Esposito, SSP was an Italian Pauline priest known for joining Freemasonry. He dismissed the Church ban on membership in the Masonic lodge, saying that it is “a thing of the past.”

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Masonic ritual and symbolism</span> Scripted words and actions spoken or performed during degree work

Masonic ritual is the scripted words and actions that are spoken or performed during the degree work in a Masonic lodge. Masonic symbolism is that which is used to illustrate the principles which Freemasonry espouses. Masonic ritual has appeared in a number of contexts within literature including in "The Man Who Would Be King", by Rudyard Kipling, and War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy.

1983 <i>Code of Canon Law</i> 1983 codification of canonical legislation for the Latin Catholic Church

The 1983 Code of Canon Law, also called the Johanno-Pauline Code, is the "fundamental body of ecclesiastical laws for the Latin Church". It is the second and current comprehensive codification of canonical legislation for the Latin Church of the Catholic Church. The 1983 Code of Canon Law was promulgated on 25 January 1983 by John Paul II and took legal effect on the First Sunday of Advent 1983. It replaced the 1917 Code of Canon Law which had been promulgated by Benedict XV on 27 May 1917.

The question of whether Freemasonry is anticlerical is the subject of debate. The Catholic Church has long been an outspoken critic of Freemasonry, and some scholars have often accused the fraternity of anticlericalism. The Catholic Church forbids its members to join any Masonic society under pain of interdiction. Freemasons usually take a diametrically opposite view, stating that there is nothing in Freemasonry that is in any way contrary to Catholicism or any other religious faith.

Freemasonry in Spain is first recorded in 1728, in an English lodge. As various papal bulls condemned Freemasonry the Spanish Inquisition did their best to close lodges and demonise Freemasons, therefore the success of Freemasonry from year to year depended on the sympathy or antipathy of the ruling regime. Nevertheless, lodges and even Grand Lodges were formed, and even thrived during more liberal periods. When Francisco Franco consolidated power in 1939, all Freemasonry was banned. In 1979, four years after Franco's death, bans on Freemasonry were declared unconstitutional, and several Grand Lodges and Orients now flourish in Spain.

Freemasonry in the United States is the history of Freemasonry as it was introduced from Britain and continues as a major secret society to the present day. It is a fraternal order that brings men together to gain friendship and opportunity for advancement and community progress. It has been nonpolitical except for a period around 1820 when it came under heavy attack in the Northeast. That attack reduced membership, but it recovered and grew after 1850. Growth ended in the late 20th century, and membership has declined.

References

  1. ↑ CBCP 2010, p. 9.
  2. 1 2 Gruber 1910.
  3. ↑ 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.
  4. ↑ 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.
  5. ↑ Benimeli 2014, p. 150.
  6. 1 2 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. 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.
  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. 1 2 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. 1 2 Benimeli 2014, pp. 139–140.
  20. ↑ Quigley 1927, p. 16.
  21. ↑ Leo XII 1825; Quigley 1927, p. 16.
  22. 1 2 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. 1 2 Luijk 2016, p. 240.
  26. 1 2 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. 1 2 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. 1 2 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. 1 2 3 Gran 1968; Tablet 1968c.
  48. ↑ Paul VI 1966b, cited in Gran (1968).
  49. 1 2 Gran 1968.
  50. ↑ Tablet (1968d), quoted in Gran (1968).
  51. ↑ Tablet 1968c.
  52. 1 2 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. 1 2 3 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. 1 2 3 CIC 1983, c. 1374.
  85. ↑ McInvale 1992.
  86. 1 2 3 Law 1985.
  87. ↑ Whalen 1985.
  88. 1 2 Green 2000c, p. 1583.
  89. ↑ CCEO 1990, c. 1402, cited in Faris (2000, p. 41).
  90. ↑ Faris 2000, p. 41.
  91. 1 2 3 4 5 CDF 1983.
  92. 1 2 Tablet 1985.
  93. 1 2 Whalen 1985, quoted in Law (1985).
  94. 1 2 CIC 1983, c. 1364.
  95. 1 2 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. 1 2 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. Archived 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.
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  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) Archived 2006-02-09 at the Wayback Machine , by Barbara Franco, The Northern Lights, November 1985
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  135. ↑ "Knights of Peter Claver oldest, largest African American Catholic lay organization". Archdiocese of Oklahoma City. Retrieved 2021-09-12.

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