Since there has been a papal ban preventing Catholics from becoming Freemasons or joining other secret societies. It's important to note that this is a ban instituted by the Catholic church and not the Freemason movement. In this post, we look at the history of Catholicism and Freemasonry and understand why Catholics are prevented from joining the secret society before seeking to understand if reconciliation between the two is possible.
Since , if a Catholic becomes a Freemason, they will be excommunicated by the church. This is the strictest penalty that can be imposed by the church, signifying just how against Freemasonry the Catholic institution is. In , many Catholics thought changes were coming regarding the ruling that Catholics were banned from becoming Masons, particularly in America.
However, Cardinal Ratzinger put any doubt to bed by stating unequivocally that:. To this day, the Catholic Church's stance on Freemasonry hasn't changed, and membership in both results in excommunication.
To understand why the Catholic church is so against Freemasonry, we need to go back to the start of the secret society in the eighteenth century. The latter does not require members to believe in a supreme being, which is in direct contradiction to the Catholic Church's fundamental teachings. In the eighteenth century, the Catholic church accused the society of promoting atheism and prohibited churchgoers from becoming members. Regarding the Grand Lodge of Freemasonry, although there is a belief in a divine 'Great Architect' or 'Supreme Being,' discussion of religion within lodges is banned.
This is enough for many Masons who wish to be Catholics to argue that they should be allowed to participate in [To enable links contact MENAFN ] the rituals of the lodge, as they believe it is not in conflict with the religious teachings of the Catholic church.
Unfortunately for them, throughout the centuries, Popes have disagreed and stood firmly behind the Papal ban on Freemasonry. Fundamentally, the Catholic church believes that, at best, Freemasonry promotes religious indifferentism or the notion that all religions are of equal worth.
Even though the majority of Masons are traditionally from a white Protestant background, particularly in recent years, Freemasonry has opened its doors to those of many religions across the world. For Catholics, this is evidence that Freemasonry, at the very least, does not recognize the importance of the belief in a Christian God, and at worst, accepts atheism as there is no requirement to discuss religious beliefs within ceremonies.
Although the Catholic church is staunch in its refusal to permit Catholics from becoming Freemasons, the same cannot be said for Freemasonry. It seems that the ban on Catholics from becoming Freemasons is one-sided , rooted in the fear that Freemasonry detracts from the religious teachings of the church.
The answer to this question isn't straightforward, and it really depends upon who you ask. There is no desire to reconcile with Freemasonry for those in power within the Catholic Church, and there is still a ban on Catholics joining Masonic lodges.
During the initiation rite, the candidate expresses a desire to seek "light," and he is assured he will receive the light of spiritual instruction that he could not receive in another Church, and that he will gain eternal rest in the "celestial lodge" if he lives and dies according to Masonic principles. Note also that since Masonry involves non-Christians, the use of the name of Jesus is forbidden within the lodge.
A strong Anti-Catholicism also permeates Freemasonry. The two traditional enemies of Freemasonry are the royalty and the papacy. Masons even believe that Christ, dying on Calvary, was the "greatest among the apostles of humanity, braving Roman despotism and the fanaticism and bigotry of the priesthood. A second difficulty with Freemasonry for Catholics involves taking of oaths. An oath is a religious act which asks God to witness the truth of the statement or the fulfillment of a promise.
Only the Church and the state, for serious reasons, can require an oath. A candidate makes an oath to Freemasonry and its secrets under pain of death or self-mutilation by kneeling blindfolded in front of the altar, placing both hands on the volume of sacred law perhaps the Bible , the square and the compass, and repeating after the "worshipful master.
The history of Freemasonry has proven its anti-Catholic nature. In Latin America, the Freemasons have expressed anti-Church and anti-clerical sentiment. The Orthodox and several Protestant churches also ban membership in the Masons.
Confusion occurred in , when a letter by Cardinal Franjo Seper, then prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, was interpreted to mean that Catholics could join Masonic lodges that were not anti-Catholic; the same congregation declared this interpretation as erroneous in On Nov. Hence, joining them remains prohibited by the Church. Despite the fact that in the new Code of Canon Law no mention is made of the excommunication formerly applied to Catholic members of Masonic groups, the Church still prohibits membership of this secretive and anti-Catholic organization whose principles are totally incompatible with the revealed Truths of the Catholic Faith.
Eight popes have issued a serious condemnation of its tenets and practices beginning with Clement XII in His constitution was confirmed and renewed by Benedict XIV. In , the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith called this a false perspective and upheld the centuries old condemnation.
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