Catholicism and Freemasonry
From About Freemasons
Since the early 1700s until recent times, there was a great deal of tension between the two groups. Catholicism groups claimed that Freemasonry was a danger to the Church and several popes tried to discourage or even ban their congregations from becoming Freemasons. Some people in the Roman Catholic Church claimed that Freemasonry was opposed to Christian dogmatism, was anti-clerical and encouraged rituals that were anti-Catholic
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Current statements Catholic Church
In 1983, the Roman Catholic Church published Quaesitum est, a tract that was approved by Pope John Paul II. This document was the most recent time the Roman Catholic Church made a direct statement about Freemasonry. In the document, the Roman Catholic Church stated: "The 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 remains unchanged since their principles have always been considered irreconcilable with the doctrine of the Church and therefore membership in them remains forbidden "
This actually represents a softening on the part of the Roman Catholic Church. In 1917, the Church’s Code of Canon Law asserted that anyone who joined Freemasonry could be excommunicated. The law also banned any books that spoke favorably of Freemasonry. The 1983 statement, however, was also intended to clarify the Church’s position about Freemasonry. Some members of the Roman Catholic Church had started to join the Freemasons, assuming that the tensions between the two had softened after Vatican II. One reason why many Catholic believed that the Church was becoming lenient about Masonry is because in 1974 Cardinal Seper signed a document that declared: "Canon 2335 no longer automatically bars a Catholic from membership of Masonic groups... a Catholic who joins the Freemasons is excommunicated only if the policies and actions of the Freemasons in his area are known to be hostile to the Church ..." This certainly made it appear that the Church was more accepting of Freemasonry. The 1983 statements left no doubt that this was not the case.
Freemasonry and Masonic views
For their part, Masons do not place any bans or restrictions on Catholics who wish to become Masons. In fact, there are number of Catholics who ignore the views of the Roman Catholic Church and become Masons anyway. These members are welcome as long as they adhere to the tenets of Freemasonry. In fact, the Freemasons have never barred Catholics from their ranks. Masons point out that Freemasonry is not a religious group and therefore does not contradict any teachings a member may hear in church.
The one possible exception to this is the Grand Orient de France. The Grand Orient de France publicly opposes the involvement of the Catholic Church in politics and this may be seen by some to be an anti-Catholic sentiment.
History
In 1738, Pope Clement XII issued the first papal proclamation against Freemasonry in his Eminenti Apostolatus Specula. This document effectively banned Freemasonry. In 1739 a man by the name of Tommaso Crudeli was arrested by the Inquisition and asked about his supposed heretical views. Questioners focused on his membership as a Mason as evidence of his heretic views. Some claimed that he was tortured. He was released in 1741 but died just a few years later. The Inquisitor also arrested John Coustos, an English resident traveling in Portugal. The intervention of King George II allowed Coustos to be released from the Portuguese Inquisition. Three Portuguese Masons were not so lucky and were put to the death for their Masonic affiliations. In 1815, the Bishop of Almería and Francisco Xavier de Mier y Campillo, the Inquisitor General of the Spanish Inquisition started a purge to rid Spain of Freemasonry. Anyone who was suspected of being a Mason could be arrested and confined. In 1884, Pope Leo XIII reiterated the ban on Freemasonry in his Humanum Genus.
Freemasonry and Joseph II
One example of a Catholic ruler who was well-disposed towards Freemasonry was Joseph II, who was Holy Roman Emperor from 1765 to 1790. Joseph II believed in enlightened absolutism and was at least tolerant of Freemasonry. Many of his advisors in court were Masons and under his reign prosecution of Freemasonry was not pursued. Unfortunately, when Joseph II died in 1790, Freemasonry was immediately banned again in what had been his dominions.
