Is Membership for Catholics in Freemasonry Really 'Prohibited'?

Over my years as a priest the question of whether or not Catholics can belong to the Masons arises at times. Recently I was asked the question again.

I have known some members of the Masons over the years. They are fine gentlemen dedicated to the good of the community. The Shriners Hospital, for one example, does exemplary work for children of all creeds.

Catholic are clearly prohibited from membership in the Masons. Though various Web sites indicate that the Masons are not a religion, the Masons have a "priesthood" and prescribed rituals. Catholics cannot be members of two religious denominations, and so it seems that, while we may be friends with Masons and even admire their work, as Catholics we cannot belong.

The Knights of Columbus, longtime fraternal organization in the Church, publishes the Catholic Word Book which gives brief explanations about many issues. Below is the 2007 entry on Freemasons. I hope that you will find it informative, and at the same time, let us renew our determination and pledge to find ways to work with other men and women of good will.

Freemasons: A fraternal order that originated in London in 1717 with the formation of the first Grand Lodge of Freemasons. From England, the order spread to Europe and elsewhere. Its principles and basic rituals embody a naturalistic religion, active participation in which is incompatible with Christian faith and practice. Grand Orient Freemasonry, developed in Latin countries, is atheistic, irreligious and anticlerical. In some places, Freemasonry has been regarded as subversive of the state; in Catholic quarters, it has been considered hostile to the Church and its doctrine. In the United States, Freemasonry has been widely regarded as a fraternal and philanthropic order.

For serious doctrinal and pastoral reasons, Catholics were forbidden to join the Freemasons under penalty of excommunication, according to Church law before 1983. Eight different Popes in 17 different pronouncements, and at least six different local councils, condemned Freemasonry. The first condemnation was made by Clement XII in 1738. Eastern Orthodox and many Protestant bodies have opposed the order.

In the U.S., there was some easing of the ban against Masonic membership by Catholics in view of a letter written in 1974 by Cardinal Franjo Seper, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The letter was interpreted to mean that Catholics might join Masonic lodges which were not anti-Catholic. This was called erroneous in a declaration by the Doctrinal Congregation February 17, 1981.

The prohibition against Masonic membership was restated in a declaration issued by the Doctrinal Congregation November 26, 1983, with the approval of Pope John Paul II, as follows. "The Church's negative position on Masonic associations remains unaltered, since their principles have always been regarded as irreconcilable with the Church's doctrine. Hence joining them remains prohibited by the Church. Catholics enrolled in Masonic associations are involved in serious sin and may not approach Holy Communion. Local ecclesiastical authorities do not have the faculty to pronounce a judgment on the nature of Masonic associations which might include a diminution of the above-mentioned judgment." This latest declaration, like the revised Code of Canon Law, does not include a penalty of excommunication for Catholics who join the Masons.

Local bishops are not authorized to grant dispensations from the prohibition. The foregoing strictures against Masonic membership by Catholics were reiterated in a report by the Committee for Pastoral Research and Practice, National Conference of Catholic Bishops, released through Catholic News Service, June 7, 1985. (From 2007 Book of Words, Knights of Columbus, page 33.)

Let me again say that, while membership in Freemasonry is irreconcilable with Catholicism, I commend the many good works that Masonic organizations undertake in service to the community.

Cardinal Francis Spellman, Archbishop Edward M. Egan & Tony Blair