“There is quite a lot written by our Holy Church
regarding Freemasonry… So that you understand where the Holy Catholic Church is
coming from in condemning Masonry, a general statement is in order. The
Catholic Church exists to assist Jesus in saving our souls and getting us to
heaven. Holy Church does not make a habit of condemning people or
organizations. Holy Church will only admonish a person or an organization that
is involved in mortal sin for the purpose of helping the individual(s) involved
to repent and convert.”
"Therefore
the Church’s negative judgement in regard to Masonic associations remains
unchanged since their principals have always been considered irreconcilable
with the doctrine of the Church and therefore membership in them remains
forbidden. The faithful who
enroll in Masonic associations are in a state of grave sin and may not receive
Holy Communion."[1]
[1] Declaration on Masonic Associations,
(11/26/1983), Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, signed by
Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, later Pope Benedict XVI
(Quoted from report prepared on
August 2, 2005 by Ronald Smith, 11701 Maplewood Road, Chardon, Ohio 44024-8482,
e-mail: hfministry@roadrunner.com.)
The
Catholic Church has a clear teaching that "Catholics cannot be Freemasons". 12 popes through 23 documents have
banned Freemasonry. I have listed them all at the end of this article. The Code
of Canon Law continues to hold that Catholics cannot associate with this
organization. I even checked with the present Vicar General of our Archdiocese
of Madras-Mylapore, Rev. Fr. Dr. S. J. Antonyswamy and he confirmed the same:
joining Freemasonry puts a soul in grave risk and is not allowed for Catholics. There was some
confusion among Catholics whether the Church had changed its stand when the New
Canon Law was promulgated in 1983. That’s why, in the very same year, the Holy
Church issued a declaration (cited above), clarifying that the Church continues
to ban Catholics from enrolling in Freemasonry.
The paragraphs below give explanations in greater
detail.
The Roman Catholic
Church presently operates under the new Code of Canon Law which was promulgated
in 1983. This new Code revised Canon 2335 of the 1917 Code, and incorporated it
into the new Canon 1734, which reads as follows:
"One who joins
an association which plots against the church is to be punished with a just
penalty; one who promotes or moderates such an association, however, is to be
punished with an interdict." As can be seen, no longer does the Canon
impose excommunication on Catholic Masons, or even mention Masons directly.
One interesting
feature of the 1983 Code is that it appears to differentiate between simple
lodge membership, the punishment for which is a "just penalty", and
promoting or holding office in such a society, the punishment for which is an
"interdict". An "interdict" is a punishment or vindictive
penalty by which the Roman Catholic faithful, remaining in communion with the
church, are forbidden certain sacraments and are prohibited from participation
in certain sacred acts. It is a censure. Those bound by a personal interdict
are forbidden to celebrate or assist at divine services, and are denied
ecclesiastical burial. It appears, therefore, that where Masonic groups
are determined to have plotted against the church, Catholic officers of those
lodges will be subject to a stiffer penalty than will regular members who are
Catholic.
As a consequence of
the new Code of Canon Law and Cardinal Franjo Seper’s, then prefect of the
Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith 1974 letter, the church was
faced with answering the question “since
the new Code does not prescribe a punishment for belonging to a Masonic
organization, does that mean that the church approves of such membership as
long as no plotting against the Roman Catholic Church occurs?” In other words,
has there been a rapprochement between Masonry and Roman Catholicism? Numerous
persons have, since the promulgation of the new Code of Canon Law in 1983, set
out to answer that question. The question has been answered conclusively in the
negative.
On 26 November 1983, the same year that the church adopted the new Canon
of Church Law, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a
statement declaring that "the church's negative position on masonic
associations, therefore, remains unaltered, since their principles have always
been regarded as irreconcilable with the church's doctrine...Catholics enrolled
in masonic associations are involved in serious sin and may not approach holy
communion."
Sadly,
many Catholics are deceived into believing that Freemasonry is okay and are
members of the organization.
Now,
members of the Catholic Societies can become aware of the incompatibility of Freemasonry with Catholicism and the
mortal danger to those souls who associate with Freemasonry.
Based
on my research on the topic, here are the reasons why our Holy Mother Church so
wisely and strongly refuses to condone membership of the Freemasonic Society
for Catholics.
1)
Freemasonry requires its members to believe in Indifferentism which holds that all religions are the same and all
lead to God. This is against the Catholic belief and teaching that Jesus is the
only way, the truth and the life. If one calls oneself Catholic, then one has
to live and demonstrate this belief through one's life. Association with
Freemasonry indicates that one doesn't believe in the dogmatic truths of
Catholic faith.
In its effort to bring together people of different
provenances, Masonry requires that its members adhere to a minimal belief in a
supreme architect of the universe and leave aside all other pretensions of
truth, even revealed truth.
It is thus basically a relativistic doctrine, and no Catholic, nor indeed any convinced Christian, may ever adhere to a group that would require him, even as a mere intellectual exercise, to renounce the affirmation of such truths as Christ's divinity and the Trinitarian nature of God.
Of course, for many people active in Masonic lodges, the conversations and activities are more social in nature and rarely veer toward the realm of philosophical speculation. A Catholic, however, cannot ignore the fundamental principles behind an organization, no matter how innocuous its activities appear to be.
It is thus basically a relativistic doctrine, and no Catholic, nor indeed any convinced Christian, may ever adhere to a group that would require him, even as a mere intellectual exercise, to renounce the affirmation of such truths as Christ's divinity and the Trinitarian nature of God.
Of course, for many people active in Masonic lodges, the conversations and activities are more social in nature and rarely veer toward the realm of philosophical speculation. A Catholic, however, cannot ignore the fundamental principles behind an organization, no matter how innocuous its activities appear to be.
"If the
candidate for Masonry is not required to abjure his religion, this is not done
out of reverence for religion, but to teach the great modern error that
religion is a matter of indifference and that all religions are alike.
Naturalism denies the existence of God, the spirituality and immortality of the
human soul, truths which may be learned by the light of reason alone. Following
this error, Masonry allows its votaries to accept the existence of God or to
reject it. The Supreme Architect of the universe, the Masonic term for God, may
mean anything or nothing. With this basic truth of God’s existence weakened,
all other truths that human reason can arrive at soon disappear; namely that
God created all things, that His Providence rules the universe, that the soul
does not die but is destined for an eternal life. With the vanishing of these
truths, private and public morality disappear. For they are the foundation on
which all morality rests. Remove God from human life
and there is no motive for right living, no meaning to justice or
injustice."[2]
[2] Humanum
Genus – Encyclical letter of His Holiness Pope Leo XIII on Freemasonry,
(04/20/1884), Tan Books & Publishers, Rockford, ILL., printed
1978, page 26
2)
Freemasonry requires its members to believe in Naturalism i.e. God is only as much as we can perceive through our
intellect and 5 senses. This is against the Catholic belief of super naturalism
and mystery. Masons are of the belief that a person’s belief in God and
obedience to Him is a 'personal option'; you can choose to believe or not
believe. Hence the conflict that separates Masons from being Christians.
"Masonry is
founded on Naturalism. That means that human nature and human reason are
supreme, and that there are no truths revealed by God that men are bound to
believe. The Naturalist denies the authority of the Catholic Church as God’s
Voice upon earth and against that Church the hatred of Naturalism is chiefly
claimed. Following the tenets of Naturalism, Masonry advocates the complete
exclusion of the Church from any civic influence, banns all cooperation between
Church and State, and relegates religion and the Church to the realm of private
and personal life."[3]
[3] Humanum Genus – Encyclical letter
of His Holiness Pope Leo XIII on Freemasonry, (04/20/1884), Tan Books &
Publishers, Rockford, ILL., printed 1978, page 25
3)
Freemasonry is illogical. Catholicism
and other religions have several contradictory beliefs. For example, Hinduism
believes that we bear the consequences of our sin. Catholicism teaches that Jesus
already bore the consequences of our sins. But, during the Freemasonic
initiation rite, believers of the two religions are told that both their beliefs
are right. Can you imagine the hypocrisy? Logically speaking, if A and B are
contradictory statements, then there are only 3 possibilities:
a)
A is right and B is wrong b) B is right and A is wrong c) Both A and B are
wrong. Freemasonry is actually founded on an illogical idea that both A and B
are right. This incidentally mocks their very own supposed principle of
"reasoned" belief. Logic indicates that the basis of Freemasonry is
absurd.
4)
Freemasonry is deceptive. Beginning
with its basic principle that all religious beliefs are "correct"
right down to the secrecy it strives to keep up, Freemasonry operates on
deception in the guise of charity and brotherhood (researchers found less than
2% of earnings are used for charity). It inducts new members without exposing
them to the full truth about it. Prospective members are approached under the
guise of professional networking and boys’ club.
But
right from the initiation rite (where the new initiate takes the “oath”
stripped down to his underwear, removing all religious sacramental symbols such
a rosary, crucifix, wedding ring, scapular, blind-folded and with a noose tied
around his neck), Freemasonry is actually attempting to replace the religious
beliefs of its members under the guise of "enlightenment". A new initiate
is actually asked “do you wish to enter the light (of freemasonic truth)”, as
if Christ is not the true light of the world.
5)
Freemasonry is a religion. Although
publicly using a facade of charity/networking/boys’ club, Freemasonry has
several religious elements. It has a "Masonic Bible", priests,
vestments, sacrificial altar, feast days and several rites. Freemasonry is
attempting to create a universal religion where the Yahweh of Christians is
likened to Brahma, Allah and even the satanic idol Baal.
6)
Church scholars and researchers and, in fact, former-Freemasons who reverted to
Catholicism have studied Freemasonic documents and found that Freemasonry is
working with a secret
agenda to destroy the Catholic Church and establish a new
world order. Freemasonry attempts to infiltrate the highest structures and
offices in society and politics so as to sublimely mould social thinking
towards Freemasonic ideologies. 9 signatories of the Declaration of Independence
of USA were Freemasons. From then, till now, Freemason Presidents (Henry
Truman, Bill Clinton etc.), Supreme Court judges, industrialists (Henry Ford, Rockefeller
etc.), lobbying agencies (Council for Foreign Relations aka CFR) have
successfully separated God from state. And now they are attempting to remove
God altogether from the lives of people.
7)
Freemasonry advocates exclusivity
and secrecy. It’s not an open organization. Generally
professionally successful and potentially influential persons are approached
for membership. Also, it requires unilateral "yes" vote from all 12
members of the voting council for a prospective-member to be granted
membership. A single black ball (which indicates No) can stop membership. Some
members are even proud of this vainglory. Contrast this with Christ and His Church.
He (Our Lord) has the power and style to call the unqualified and qualify them.
Below
is the link to other articles and videos by advocate John Salza, who was a
former 33rd degree Freemason, who converted to Catholicism:
You
can also check out this video which clearly explains the history, agenda and
dangers of Freemasonry.
Search
for “FBI Freemasonry” on You-tube. Hit the first link that pops up.
If
you are a Catholic who is a member of the Freemasons, the church pleads with
you to immediately offer your resignation at the Lodge and go for a good
confession. If you have a spouse, parent, child, family or friend who is a Masonic
member, please pray for their conversion. Here is a sample prayer: http://scripturecatholic.com/prayer_for_freemasons.html.
Also,
the intercession of our Lady through the Holy Rosary, is a powerful instrument
for grace, reconciliation and the stripping of all deception.
"For hundreds
of millions of Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox, and tens of millions of
Protestants, the choice is clear. They may follow the admonition of their
churches and avoid the lodge, or they may join the Masonic lodge and thereby
reject the spiritual direction of their Pope, bishops, or church leaders. If
they follow the latter path, the churches recognize their divided allegiance by
various penalties ranging from a reprimand to denial of full participation in
the church to expulsion."[4]
[4] Christianity and American Freemasonry,
ISBN: 0-87973-484-1, (1987), William J. Whalen, Our Sunday Visitor,
Inc., Huntington, IN., P. 167
If
any of the readers have dissenting argument/facts, kindly do write back. If one does not
believe/trust in the One Holy Catholic Church then none of this can make sense.
The church consists of weak, bumbling human beings like you and I who often
misunderstand, make mistakes and paint a wrong picture of Church teachings.
Remember that in spite of bad popes, bishops, priests and nuns, the actual
teachings and doctrines of the Church were never altered. That’s because God
protects His Church from error. If you need to know more about the truth of the
Catholic teachings and doctrines you can look up the official Vatican website
first hand. Don’t take anyone’s word for it but find it yourself. It’s all
online.
You
may know several "Catholic" lay church leaders and even priests and
bishops themselves who are Freemasonic members in spite of the Church's clear
stand against Freemasonry. They willfully choose to break God's command through
His Church and so help them God, but that doesn't mean the Church's teaching is
not correct or changed.
Finally,
the Church doesn't have any secret service or police to stop wrongdoing. The
church consists not just of Pope, Bishop, priests and nuns but also lay people
like you and me. We are called to be true to Her teachings and uphold them. It
takes a lot of courage and sacrifice to defend one's faith and stay true to
them. But our reward lies in the joy and peace as well as salvation which only
Christ can give. As individuals and a society, let’s have the courage to take
the right and necessary actions to safeguard our souls and also that of our
generations to come.
Declarations
of the Church against Freemasonry:
February 23, 1985
http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_19850223_declaration-masonic_articolo_en.html
November 26, 1983
Declaration by the
Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith (CDF) http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_d
oc_19831126_declaration-masonic_en.html
April 20, 1884
Humanum Genus, Leo XIII
The
encyclical Humanum Genus is considered to contain one of the
most vicious attacks on Freemasonry of any papal pronouncements. It states that
"A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor a bad tree produce good
fruit...the Masonic sect produces fruits that are pernicious and of the
bitterest savor." It goes on to say that Freemasonry's goal is the
destruction of the Roman Catholic Church, and that Freemasonry and the Roman
Catholic Church are adversaries. Pope Leo further stated that many Freemasons
are unaware of the ultimate goals of Freemasonry and should not be considered
partners in the criminal acts perpetrated by Freemasonry. He also condemns the
naturalism of Freemasonry, by which is meant the belief that "human nature
and human reason ought in all things to be mistress and guide...they allow no
dogma of religion or truth which cannot be understood by the human
intelligence, nor any teacher who ought to be believed by reason of his
authority." It is interesting to note that Albert Pike (a leading
Freemason) stated that this encyclical was a "...declaration of war, and
the signal for a crusade, against the rights of man...."
April 28, 1738
In Eminenti, Clement XII
This
constitution was the first public written attack by the papacy against Masonry.
In In Eminenti the principal objections to Freemasonry given
were: that it was open to men of all religions; that there were oaths taken;
that Masons denied clerical authority, and that Masons met in secret.
Pope
Clement forbade Masonic membership by Catholics and directed the
"Inquisitors of Heretical Depravity" to take action against Catholics
who became Masons or assisted Freemasonry in any way. He ordered
excommunication as punishment for those who defied his ban.
May 18, 1751
Providas, Benedict XIV
This
constitution confirmed In Eminenti and condemned Freemasonry
on the grounds of its naturalism, demand for oaths, secrecy, religious
indifferentism, possible threat to the church and state. It specifically
forbids Roman Catholics from seeking membership in any Masonic group.
September 13, 1821
Ecclesiam A Jesu
Christo, Pius VII
The
constitution Ecclesiam specifies excommunication for
Freemasons and gives as reason for the censure the oath bound secrecy of the
society and their conspiracies against the church and state. It also links
Freemasonry with the Society of the Carbonari, known as the "Charcoal
Burners", who at that time were active in Italy and were
believed to be a revolutionary group.
March 13, 1825
Quo Gravioria Mala, Leo XII
This
constitution restated the Roman Catholic Church's objection to Freemasonry as a
secret society, with oath-bound secrecy, which conspires against church and state.
May 24, 1829
Traditi Humilitati, Pius VIII
This
encyclical is considered by some Roman Catholic authorities to be an
anti-Masonic polemic.
It
warned against a secret society whose "cunning purpose is to...lead the
students along the path of Baal." It called for Catholics to
"...eradicate those secret societies of factious men who, completely
opposed to God and to princes, are wholly dedicated to bringing about the fall
of the Church, the destruction of kingdoms, and disorder in the whole world." It
also makes reference to the anti-Masonic pronouncements of previous popes.
March 25, 1830
Litteris Altero, Pius VIII
This
apostolic letter reiterated earlier papal condemnations of Freemasonry. It
specifically condemns the influence of Freemasonry in education.
August 15, 1832
Mirari Vos, Gregory XVI
This
was an encyclical on liberalism and religious indifferentism. Religious
indifferentism is defined as "... the fraud of the wicked who claim that
it is possible to obtain the eternal salvation of the soul by the profession of
any kind of religion, as long as morality is maintained." This encyclical
does not mention Masonry, but religious indifferentism is one of the charges
often leveled against Freemasonry in papal pronouncements.
Some
Roman Catholic authorities identify this pronouncement as
anti-Masonic.
November 9, 1846
Qui Pluribus, Pius IX
This
encyclical calls for Roman Catholics to fight against heresy. It decries those
who put human reason above faith, and who believe in human progress. Strangely,
it also attacks secret "sects" and "crafty" Bible societies
who "force on people of all kinds, even the uneducated, gifts of the
Bible." This encyclical also calls "perverse" religious
indifferentism. While not mentioning Masonry directly, it criticizes those
it does not identify for those same faults that the previous papal
pronouncements imputed to Freemasonry, and is regarded as an anti-Masonic
pronouncement by some Catholic sources.
April 20, 1849
Quibus Quantisque Malis
This
pronouncement is referred to by some authorities as anti-Masonic, but is
unavailable in English translation.
December 8, 1864
Quanta Cura, Pius IX
This
is an Encyclical condemning "current errors", including naturalism.
It calls liberty of conscience and worship the "liberty of
perdition". It attacks communism and socialism directly, but does not
mention Freemasonry. Quanta Cura is referred to by some
authorities as an encyclical dealing with Freemasonry.
An
attack on naturalism is usually understood to be an attack on Freemasonry.
September 25, 1865
Multiplices Inter, Pius IX
This
is an address made by Pope Pius IX condemning Freemasonry and other secret
societies. In it, he accuses Masonic associations of conspiracy against the
church, God and civil society. He further attributes revolutions and uprisings
to Masonic activities, and denounces secret oaths, clandestine meetings and
Masonic penalties.
October 12, 1869
Apostolicae Sedis Moderatoni
This
is a constitution relating to Canon Law. It clarifies the procedure regarding
censure in Canon Law, changes some Canons and establishes a new list of
censures.
Some
authorities state the document relates to Freemasonry, but it is
unavailable in English translation.
November 21, 1873
Etsi Multa, Pius IX
In
the encyclical Etsi Multa, Pope Pius condemned Masonry by stating
that Masonic groups were among the "sects" from which "...the
synagogue of Satan is formed..."
February 15, 1882
Etsi Nos, Leo XIII
This
papal encyclical speaks about the conditions then prevalent
in Italy and refers to a "pernicious sect" at war with
Jesus Christ, which sect he blames for civil unrest in Italy.
Some
Roman Catholic authorities identify this as a reference to Freemasonry.
December 22, 1887
Officio Sanctissimo, Leo XIII
This
is an encyclical epistle concerning Bavaria and includes a warning
against Freemasonry. It states that Freemasonry is a "contagion", and
is a "sect of darkness".
October 15, 1890
Dall'Alto Dell'Apostolico
Seggio, Leo XIII
This
encyclical, also known as Ab Apostolici, dealt with Freemasonry
in Italy. It condemned the contemporary course of public affairs
in Italy as the realization of the "Masonic programme".
This alleged "programme" was said to involve a "deadly hatred of
the Church", the abolition of religious instruction in schools and the
absolute independence of civil society from clerical influence.
December 18, 1892
Inimica Vis, Leo XIII
This
encyclical epistle to the bishops of Italy addresses Freemasonry
in Italy. It reiterates the urgent necessity of combating the ends of
Freemasonry, and entreats the bishops to work to convert victims of
Freemasonry. It complains that some Roman Catholic clergy are entering into or
cooperating with Freemasonry.
December 18, 1892
Custodi di Qualla Fede, Leo XIII
This
is an encyclical epistle to the people of Italy attacking
Freemasonry. It tells how to work against Freemasonry in ways such as guarding
Catholic homes against infiltration, setting up Catholic schools and mutual aid
societies, and establishing a Catholic press. It contains virulent criticism of
Freemasonry.
June 20, 1894
Praeclara, Leo XIII
Praeclara is an apostolic letter to the
rulers and nations of the world which calls for union with the Church of Rome,
and which warns against Freemasonry.
March 18, 1902
Annum Ingressi, Leo XIII
Annum Ingressi is an
apostolic epistle to the bishops of the world reviewing the 25 years of his
pontificate. It also urges resistance to Freemasonry.
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