Can you be a Freemason and a Catholic?

Answer 1

Freemasonry does indeed accept practicing Roman Catholics for membership.

It should be noted however that the Catholic Church has prohibitions against joining Freemasonry. The Catholic Congregation For The Doctrine of the Faith published a document on 26 November 1983 which stated that "The faithful who enroll in Masonic associations are in a state of grave sin and may not receive Holy Communion." . This document was signed by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who is currently Pope Benedict XVI.

The Knights of Columbus are a similar organization that is open to practicing Catholics.

Answer 2

Freemasonry does indeed accept practicing Roman Catholics for membership.

It should be noted however that the Catholic Church has prohibitions against joining Freemasonry. The Catholic Congregation For The Doctrine of the Faith published a document on 26 November 1983 which stated that "The faithful who enroll in Masonic associations are in a state of grave sin and may not receive Holy Communion." . This document was signed by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who is currently Pope Benedict XVI.

Finally as this question is posted both in "Catholicism" and "Freemasons" categories, it should be noted that the following Roman Catholic response is valid and correct with exception of characterizing Freemasonry as a "religion" (which its own adherents will tell you it is not). It is also notable that although it is claimed that the Roman Catholic Church has condemned Freemasonry "since the foundation of the Masons", the first published condemnation was on April 28 1738 by Pope Clement XII. This is fully 21 years after the first Grand Lodge was formed by already-existing Lodges, and fully 139 years later than the Freemasonic Lodge meeting minutes still preserved under the auspices of the Grand Lodge of Scotland.

Roman Catholic AnswerAll Catholics, priests included, are forbidden under pain of auto-excommunication from becoming Masons. This has been the constant teaching of the Church since the foundation of the Masons. Every pope for the past two hundred years has reiterated this. The Masonic "religion" is incompatible with Christianity, membership puts one's salvation at grave risk.

Answer 3

Officially, one cannot be a Catholic and a Freemason. Actually there are a large number of Catholic Masons. The Catholic Church officially condemns this but cannot do much about it. There is no rule in Masonry forbidding Catholics from joining.

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Catholic AnswerNo, any such Catholic would not be in good standing as he was automatically excommunicated the day he joined the lodge - even if he didn't know it. From the standpoint of the Catholic Church, joining the Masons (or becoming a Freemason) is an automatic excommunication. The Freemasons have been condemned as incompatible with the Christian Faith. For a complete explanation, including the current legal status and the history get the two books below, more than enough to satisfy anyone's curiosity and the compatibility of Catholicism and Freemasonry, they are written by a Catholic who was previously a 32nd degree Mason, very active in leadership and recruiting for the Masons.

Answer 4

As far as the church goes, the answer is no: a Roman Catholic can marry a freemason only if the freemason will give up his membership. Legally, it is possible anywhere. As far as the Freemasons are concerned, their members can marry anyone they like. In practical terms, yes, there are plenty of women who are practising and devoted Catholics who are married to Freemasons who are also practising and devoted Catholics.

Answer 5

No. In 1738, Pope Clement XII forbade Roman Catholics to join the Free Masons in his papal decree "In Eminenti." Until 1983, joining the Masons was punishable by excommunication. This punishment was taken away, but it is still forbidden to join the society. Eastern Orthodox Catholics and some Protestant churches forbid members to join the Masons as well.

The Free Masons are strongly anti-Catholic, and in some ways even anti-Christian and have their own temples, altars, feast days, hierarchy, and more. Since there are non-Christian members, the name of Jesus can not be used in the lodge. It is also taught that faith in Christ is not necessary for salvation. The papacy is their enemy. They also require members to take oaths to Freemasonry under penalty of death or self-mutilation without having the candidate know all that they are pledging to uphold. Since an oath is asking God to witness that what they are pledging to is truth, this creates a huge problem. I am adding the links to the sites where I got my information from, and so you can do some further reading on the subject.

Answer 6

Catholic AnswerIf you are referring to someone who builds in stone or brick, of course. If you are referring to Freemasonry, a secret international organization which dates to the first quarter of the 18th century, then no; most Popes from Clement XII in 1738 through Leo XIII in his encyclical Humanum Genus in 1884 have condemned Freemasonry, and the old code of Canon Law (1918) decreed that no Catholic may join "Masonic sects or any other similar associations which plot against the Church." The current Code does not mention Freemasonry by name, but the teaching of the Church has been consistent there is no way a Catholic may belong to a Masonic organization without incurring sin, usually mortal sin.

Another Answer:

Under the rules of the Catholic Church, a Catholic can not be a mason. The 1917 Code of Canon Law applied the censure of excommunication on anyone who joined a masonic lodge.

This has not stopped numerous Catholic clergy, including bishops and cardinals, from secretly joining Masonic lodges, particularly some with Mafia links. Some of the names became public knowledge in 1976 after the Italian government ruled that the names of individuals who joined secret societies such as Masonic lodges be made public. The Masonic movement itself was innocent of direct involvement in what occurred, but its secrecy provided an ideal cover for the Mafia to infiltrate the Vatican and engage in symbiotic criminal activity.

Answer 7

The religious test for almost all Masonic Lodges is that the prospective member must believe in the existence of a Supreme Being, a test which Catholics have no trouble in passing. There is therefore no Masonic rule forbidding Catholics from joining a Lodge. On the other hand, the Catholic Church has, from time to time, issued instructions to its members that they are not to join Masonic Lodges. The origin of this policy seems to have been that a number of those people (such as Garibaldi) who supported the existence of a single secular Italian state (modern Italy) were Masons. The Papacy was violently opposed to the abolition of the Papal State. Also, many Masons at the time favoured secular education with lay people as teachers as opposed to priests and nuns. This was also contrary to Papal policy at the time. As a result the Pope issued a Bull against Catholics joining Masonic Lodges. Although the secularist policies prevailed and are no longer an issue, the climate of suspicion created by the Church and the Papal Bull has remained, and although various Popes have been more or less disposed to accomodation with members of the lodges, the prohibition still applies.

Nevertheless, Catholics who choose to ignore the prohibition can and have become Masons.

Answer 8

Yes. Nothing in Freemasonry prohibits a member of the Catholic Church from joining it. In fact many Catholics are Freemasons. If your question is "Can Catholics be Freemasons?" the answer is different because the Church does prohibit its members from joining Freemasonry.

Answer 9

No, for a Catholic to join the Free Masons incurs automatic excommunication.