Ethan Walker
Freemasonry is a centuries-old secretive society with an estimated global membership of up to six million. The Catholic Church has long viewed Freemasonry with hostility, and the Vatican reaffirmed in November 2023 that Catholics cannot belong to Freemasonry due to their irreconcilability with Catholic doctrine. The Church's stance on the matter is based on the belief that Freemasonry is a secular religion that promotes religious indifferentism and, in some cases, actively opposes Christian spiritual authority and governments. The Church has imposed the penalty of excommunication on Catholics who become Freemasons, and the most recent official Holy See documents about the incompatibility of Freemasonry with the Catholic faith were issued in 1985 and November 2023. While some Catholics and Freemasons, especially in America, have interpreted Canon Law to suggest that the ban on Catholics becoming Freemasons may have changed, the Vatican's recent reaffirmation of the ban highlights that this is not the case.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of most recent official Holy See documents about the "incompatibility of Freemasonry with the Catholic faith" | 13 November 2023 |
| Issuing department | Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith |
| Date of previous official Holy See documents about the "incompatibility of Freemasonry with the Catholic faith" | 1985 |
| Date of the last ban on Catholics becoming Freemasons | 26 November 1983 |
| Issuing authority | Sacred Congregation |
| Approval by | Pope John Paul II |
| Date of the previous ban on Catholics becoming Freemasons | 1917 |
| Penalty for joining Freemasonry | Automatic excommunication |
| Penalty for joining a forbidden association | Punishment with a just penalty |
| Penalty for promoting or taking office in a forbidden association | Punishment with an interdict |
| Mention of Freemasonry in Canon Law | No |
| Mention of joining any groups that plot against the Church in Canon Law | Yes |
| Mention of ban on Catholics becoming Freemasons in Canon Law | No |
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What You'll Learn
The Catholic Church's stance on Freemasonry
The Catholic Church has long held a negative stance on Freemasonry, considering it a secretive society that is incompatible with Catholic doctrine and beliefs. This position was formalized in 1738 when the Church prohibited Catholics from joining Masonic organizations and other secret societies, citing their principles and rituals as irreconcilable with Catholic doctrines. The Church has consistently maintained this stance over the centuries, and it still stands today.
The Church's opposition to Freemasonry stems from several key factors. Firstly, Freemasonry is seen as a form of religion unto itself, with its own temples, altars, worship services, vestments, and initiation and burial rites. This is considered problematic as it promotes religious indifferentism and, in some cases, actively opposes Christian spiritual authority and governments. Freemasonry's history of aggressive actions against Catholic institutions, particularly in France, has also contributed to the Church's negative view.
Another issue is the taking of oaths, which is a significant part of Freemasonry. An oath is a religious act that invokes God as a witness to the truth or fulfillment of a promise. The Catholic Church teaches that only the Church and the state can require an oath, and only for serious reasons. In Freemasonry, candidates take an oath to its secrets under pain of death or self-mutilation, which is considered a violation of Catholic teachings.
The secrecy and exclusivity of Freemasonry have also caused concern within the Catholic Church. Freemasonry claims to possess secret knowledge that is only accessible to its members and attainable through secret rites and performances. This notion of exclusive knowledge is inherently opposed to the Catholic Church's teachings, which emphasize the revelation of divine truth to all believers.
In recent years, there has been some confusion and debate within the Catholic Church regarding the stance on Freemasonry. In 1967, the Episcopal Conference of Scandinavia (CES) declared that it was "possible but not advisable" for Catholics to join Masonic groups, arguing that Scandinavian Masonry was fundamentally different from its American and European counterparts and was not anticlerical or atheistic. This decision, however, was not officially endorsed by the Holy See.
Furthermore, the 1983 Code of Canon Law (1983 CIC) omitted the explicit mention of Masonic associations, leading some Catholics and Masons to question whether the ban was still in effect. The 1983 Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith's (CDF) Declaration clarified that the omission of association names was an editorial choice and that the prohibition against Catholics joining Masonic groups remained unchanged.
Despite these clarifications, some Catholics continued to interpret the 1983 CIC as permitting membership in Masonic groups, as long as they did not conflict with their loyalty to the Catholic Church. This interpretation was based on the distinction between being a member of a forbidden association and holding an official position within it.
However, in November 2023, the Vatican reaffirmed its stance, stating that "active membership in Freemasonry by a member of the faithful is prohibited" due to the "irreconcilability between Catholic doctrine and Freemasonry." This declaration, issued by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and approved by Pope Francis, emphasized that the Church's negative judgment of Masonic associations has not changed.
In conclusion, the Catholic Church's stance on Freemasonry remains firmly opposed, citing irreconcilable differences between Catholic doctrine and Masonic principles and rituals. While there have been periods of confusion and interpretation, the Church has consistently prohibited Catholics from joining Masonic organizations, emphasizing the inherent incompatibility between the two.
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Freemasonry's influence on the French Revolution
Freemasonry has been linked to the French Revolution of 1789, with some writers suggesting that Freemasons in France were behind the Revolution itself. Freemasons were leading various factions during the Revolution, with Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orleans, Grand Master of the Grand Orient, being prominent. However, Freemasons were divided, and their differing points of view and loyalties influenced not only the course of the revolution but also the perception of Freemasonry in France and around the world. Masonic symbolism featured prominently in revolutionary propaganda; in official pamphlets, symbols like the All-Seeing Eye and the Plumb-Rule were used to portray the supposed enlightenment and justice brought about by the French Revolution. The Enlightenment itself, brought to prominence by writers like the Freemason Voltaire, influenced the origins of the Revolution, with works with Masonic links, such as Thomas Paine's "The Rights of Man", being written in its support.
During the French Revolution, Freemasons in France were in both the Republican and monarchical camps. The Grand Master of the Grand Orient himself publicly renounced Freemasonry in 1793 shortly before being executed by guillotine. The Jesuit Augustin Barruel wrote that Freemasons had actively prepared the 1789 revolution, which has been used to back theories of a Masonic plot. This thesis was often reprised later, notably during the French Third Republic, by Catholic authors (using it to oppose both the Republic and Freemasonry). However, in reality, the lodges had assumed a certain independence from the State and the Church, probably giving rise to new aspirations.
Freemasonry in France was mainly Catholic in composition, including several priests, until the French Revolution. In the 1740s, an original and mixed-sex form of Freemasonry, known as "Masonry of Adoption", arose among the high French aristocracy. Around 1744, there were around 20 lodges in Paris and 20 in the provinces. After the French Revolution, the lodges revived, but the total number of active French Freemasons had fallen by two-thirds, and French Freemasonry took 20 years to regain its pre-war numbers. It never recovered the political and social influence it had under the First Empire, during the 1848 Revolution, and under the Third Republic, instead turning to philosophical reflections that became ever more spiritual in nature.
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The Vatican's ban on Catholics becoming Freemasons
The Catholic Church has prohibited Catholics from joining Masonic organizations and other secret societies since 1738. The Church has long viewed Freemasonry with hostility, considering it a rival to the religion of the Gospel. The Church has also imposed the penalty of excommunication on Catholics who become Freemasons. The penalty of excommunication for joining the Masonic Lodge was explicit in the 1917 code of canon law (canon 2335) and is implicit in the 1983 code (canon 1374).
The 1983 Code of Canon Law (1983 CIC) states that a Catholic "who joins an association that 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." The 1983 Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith's (CDF) Declaration on Masonic associations states that “faithful who enrol in Masonic associations are in a state of grave sin and may not receive Holy Communion." The CDF also clarified that the omission of association names, such as Masonic associations, from the 1983 CIC did not mean that the ban on Catholics becoming Freemasons was no longer active.
The Catholic Church's position on Freemasonry is based on the belief that Masonic principles and rituals are irreconcilable with Catholic doctrines. Freemasonry is seen as a naturalistic religion that espouses indifferentism, the view that a person can be equally pleasing to God while remaining in any religion. It is also considered a secret society with rituals and symbols that are contrary to Christian morals.
In November 2023, the Vatican's doctrinal office, the Dicastery of the Doctrine of the Faith, issued a letter confirming the ban on Catholics becoming Freemasons. The letter, countersigned by Pope Francis, stated that "active membership in Freemasonry by a member of the faithful is prohibited because of the irreconcilability between Catholic doctrine and Freemasonry." The letter was issued in response to a bishop from the Philippines who was concerned about the growing number of Freemasons in his country.
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The incompatibility of Freemasonry with Catholic faith
Freemasonry is incompatible with the Catholic faith due to its promotion of religious indifferentism, which is unacceptable in Catholicism. The Catholic Church considers Masonic principles and rituals to be irreconcilable with its doctrines.
Freemasonry teaches a naturalistic religion, which is incompatible with Christian faith and practice. It espouses indifferentism, the position that a person can be equally pleasing to God while remaining in any religion. This is in direct opposition to Catholicism, which requires loving submission to the one true God and the renunciation of all other beliefs.
Freemasonry also functions as a secret society, claiming to have secret knowledge accessible only to its members, which is obtained through secret rites and performances. This exclusivity puts Freemasons in opposition to the Church. Additionally, Freemasonry has been associated with aggressive actions against Catholic schooling in France, further demonstrating its incompatibility with the Catholic faith.
The Catholic Church has consistently prohibited membership in Freemasonry, with at least eleven popes making pronouncements about the incompatibility of Catholic doctrines and Freemasonry. In 1983, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a declaration reiterating the Church's objections to Freemasonry and stating that Catholics who enroll in Masonic associations are in a state of grave sin and may not receive Holy Communion.
The Church's stance on Freemasonry remains unchanged, as reaffirmed by the Vatican in November 2023, citing the irreconcilability between Catholic doctrine and Freemasonry.
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The history of the ban
Freemasonry is a centuries-old secretive society that has long been viewed with hostility by the Catholic Church. The Church has imposed the penalty of excommunication on Catholics who become Freemasons. The penalty of excommunication for joining the Masonic Lodge was explicit in the 1917 Code of Canon Law (canon 2335), and it is implicit in the 1983 code (canon 1374).
In 1983, the Code of Canon Law was revised, removing the mention of Freemasonry and the penalty of automatic excommunication. This led some Catholics and Freemasons, especially in America, to believe that the ban on Catholics becoming Freemasons had been lifted. 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.
However, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a declaration on the Freemasons in the same year, clarifying that despite the change in wording, the Church's opposition to Freemasonry remained. The declaration stated that joining any Masonic association is a grave sin that bars one from receiving communion. The Church's negative judgment regarding Masonic associations was reaffirmed in 2023 by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, which stated that active membership in Freemasonry by Catholics is prohibited due to the "irreconcilability between Catholic doctrine and Freemasonry."
The Catholic Church's opposition to Freemasonry stems from the belief that Freemasonry teaches a naturalistic religion that espouses indifferentism, the position that a person can be equally pleasing to God while remaining in any religion. Freemasonry is seen as a parallel religion to Christianity, with all the elements of religion, including temples, altars, prayers, a moral code, worship, vestments, feast days, initiation and burial rites, and a hierarchy. Freemasonry also functions as a secret society, with initiates subscribing to secret blood oaths that are contrary to Christian morals.
Additionally, Freemasonry has been accused of actively working against the Catholic Church, particularly in Europe. Freemasonry has been linked to political influence in Europe and the Americas, pushing for the secularization of society and diminishing the influence of the Catholic Church. For example, in his 1873 encyclical, Blessed Pope Pius IX detailed Masonic political attacks on the Church in Italy, Switzerland, and Germany, referring to their "deceits and machinations" as forming "the synagogue of Satan." Freemasonry has also been influential in revolutions, such as the French Revolution, and has been accused of being aggressive against Catholic schooling in France.
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Frequently asked questions
No. The Vatican reaffirmed its ban on Catholics becoming Freemasons on November 15, 2023.
The Catholic Church believes Freemasonry is a religion that is incompatible with the Catholic faith.
Freemasonry is a centuries-old, male-only society with an estimated global membership of up to six million. It is associated with arcane symbols and rituals and has sometimes been linked to conspiracy theories.
The Catholic Church's ban on Freemasonry was made explicit in the 1917 Code of Canon Law (canon 2335). The 1983 revision of the Code avoided a specific mention of Freemasonry and removed the penalty of automatic excommunication, but maintained its ban on Catholics joining any groups that plot against the Church.
Freemasons say that their organisation is "one of the oldest social and charitable organisations in the world", rooted in the traditions of medieval stonemasons.
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