How does a Freemason handle "a request" from a Catholic?

Question

I am not referring to a request for membership.

I am getting a lot of response to my questions. It is good to know that a lot of brave knights still exist, and that chivalry is not dead.

Hint: I have two uncles through marriage, one deceased, with Freemasonic associations. Both of them have done a lot of damge in the extended families. One of the nicknames of the uncle still living is "Santa Claus", because he distributes "benefits", only "in exchange" for bad behaviour. He loves to preside over events.

Please, verbal answers only!

From my personal experience, I have never known a Freemason to be guility of a sexual impropriety, except, maybe "Old Skull and Bones", Bill Clinton. Verbal and proxy assaults, of course, would be more difficult to assess.

No Thank You, NeoArt and jerry806, to your "invitations" to engage in interaction with Freemasons offline and out of public. The tactic of introducing a red herring - almost always one regarding sexual misconduct, when sexual misbehaviour has never been suggested or implied - seems like an old trick. Why is your correspondence and advice coming in on Monday night, NeoArt? Are you aware that there seems to be a hilarious and classic joke regarding Monday night?

I suspect that a lot of people do not know the implied meaning of the terms "to work for Catholics" or "request from a Catholic".

Answer 1

Spanner,
You have not been very clear with your question. If you are saying that you are being abused or mistreated by a man who you know is a member of a Masonic Lodge you can get relief.

Freemasonry only accepts men who believe in God and have high moral convictions. The Grand Lodge of Masons in your state would like to know if one of their members is not living up to their obligations. You may speak to any Mason, Lodge Officer or official at the Grand Lodge who will immediately counsel, confer, caution, rebuke or suspend any member who is in violation of the Moral Code. You can do a Yahoo search on "Grand Lodge of (insert the name of your state)" and find the appropriate WEB site for names, addresses and phone numbers of the local officials.

Freemasons do not judge people by their religion. Catholics, Protestants, Jews, Muslims and other God fearing people can make proper requests.

Answer 2

I found a passage that pretty much sums this up pretty well...

I'm a convert to Catholicism, and I come from a heritage of freemasonry, shriners and Job's daughters, but RCC let me in anyway :0) . However, I will not become a member of Eastern Star or have my children become Job's Daughters or Demolay, the reasons are stated below:

From www.catholic.com:

What is the Catholic Church's official position on Freemasonry? Are Catholics free to become Freemasons?

Freemasonry is incompatible with the Catholic faith. Freemasonry teaches a naturalistic religion that espouses indifferentism, the position that a person can be equally pleasing to God while remaining in any religion.

Masonry is a parallel religion to Christianity. The New Catholic Encyclopedia states, "Freemasonry displays all the elements of religion, and as such it becomes a rival to the religion of the Gospel. It includes temples and altars, prayers, a moral code, worship, vestments, feast days, the promise of reward or punishment in the afterlife, a hierarchy, and initiation and burial rites" (vol. 6, p. 137).

Masonry is also a secret society. Its initiates subscribe to secret blood oaths that are contrary to Christian morals. The prospective Mason swears that if he ever reveals the secrets of Masonry - secrets which are trivial and already well-known - he wills to be subject to self-mutilation or to gruesome execution. (Most Masons, admittedly, never would dream of carrying out these punishments on themselves or on an errant member).

Historically, one of Masonry's primary objectives has been the destruction of the Catholic Church; this is especially true of Freemasonry as it has existed in certain European countries. In the United States, Freemasonry is often little more than a social club, but it still espouses a naturalistic religion that contradicts orthodox Christianity. (Those interested in joining a men's club should consider the Knights of Columbus instead.)

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).

Because the revised code of canon law is not explicit on this point, some drew the mistaken conclusion that the Church's prohibition of Freemasonry had been dropped. As a result of this confusion, shortly before the 1983 code was promulgated, the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a statement indicating that the penalty was still in force. This statement was dated November 26, 1983 and may be found in Origins 13/27 (Nov. 15, 1983), 450.

Answer 3

I will add this from our Order, we treat very seriously any impropriety. If you, a Catholic and outsider (so to speak), come to an officer of our Lodge and have a complaint about a member of our Lodge, that would get forwarded with all due respect and privacy first to the Right Worshipful Master of the Lodge and then to the Most Sovereign Grand Commander of our Order. It does not matter that you are a Catholic or any other faith: we would listen.

Being an Order of both women and men, sexual misbehavior is seen as a very grave thing. I am sure it is in the all male Orders as well; although I cannot speak for them.

What would your request be? That this Santa Claus cease and desist molesting you and those you know? Personally, I would gather the rest of those injured and seek out professional help, go to a therapist and get their aid. Not for him but to go to the authorities. If he is doing this, he needs to be stopped. If any of his prey are underage, then Santa can go to jail.

I am not sure that even ejecting him from Freemasonry will be enough. I would hope it would be. Freemasonry prides itself, again only from what I know in my Order, in being a system of morality. If he is practicing immoral acts, he needs to be brought to Plumb.

I agree about googling the name of his town and Freemasonry Lodge to see if you can contact an officer there. Be prepared to talk about specifics and understand that these are possibly grave charges; they will want collaborating testimony if possible.

Best of luck and I hope you can stop him. If I can be of further service, feel free to contact me.

*Further in response to your additions: looks like you are the one doing the baiting. Here is your quote:"One of the nicknames of the uncle still living is "Santa Claus", because he distributes "benefits", only "in exchange" for bad behaviour." And you asked about a request. I asked you what your request was and if it *WERE* sexual misconduct on his part, to go to the legal authorities first or did you not read that part? What bad behaviors this guy is doing is well beyond me.

The Masons who have answered you here have tried their level best to respond with what they thought you were hinting at. They also offered to speak with you off-line if you needed any other information. That was offered generously. I see that it may have been offered to someone not wishing any help at all.

And NO, I have no idea about your joke about Monday night. Hope you are enjoying yourself.

Here's a thought: you might just come right out and talk to Santa Claus directly, whatever you beef is with him. Real men do that, you know?*

Master Mason, Member of three Lodges, Officer in two.

Answer 4

Gratefully. The Freemasons are hurting for membership. The ban on being both Masonic and Catholic was lifted a while ago.

Answer 5

As of a few years ago ( I read the Masonic Memo) the R.C.Church gave permission for its male members to join the shrine.

Much excitement ensued in the couple of lodges where I had contacts.

There was no rush of new members to any Lodge that I have contacts in!

Answer 6

A request for what? We aid any and all we can without material injury to ourselves or families without prejudice.
I do believe the Papal Bull against Masonry was lifted by either JP1 or JP2.

Answer 7

I'm sure it would depend on the request. But most freemasons I know do not care what religion a person is.

Answer 8

Catholics who become masons are in grave sin. The RCC has not condoned the masons. . . ever.

Here is an excerpt from an article about Catholics and the masons:

**
The Church, through its Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, has formally declared that Catholics who enroll in Masonic associations are in a state of grave sin and may not receive Holy Communion. This declaration, which is the most recent teaching of the Church, has affirmed nearly 300 years of papal pronouncements against Freemasonry on the grounds that the teachings of the Lodge are contrary to Catholic faith and morals.

The Church’s declaration on Freemasonry exposes Catholic Masons to a number of penalties under canon law. For example, a Catholic who is aware that the Church authoritatively judges membership in Freemasonry to be gravely sinful must not approach Holy Communion (c. 916). The Church imposes the duty upon all grave sinners not to make a sacrilegious communion. Such a Catholic Mason who is aware of the grave sin must receive absolution in a sacramental confession before being able to receive communion again, unless there is a grave reason and no opportunity to confess (c. 916). This confession, in order to be valid, also requires the Catholic Mason to renounce his Masonic membership.

Further, because membership in Freemasonry is an external or public condition, the Catholic Mason can be refused Holy Communion by the pastors of the Church for obstinately persevering in his Masonic membership (c. 915). Such a Catholic Mason would also be forbidden from receiving the Anointing of the Sick (c. 1007) as well as ecclesiastical funeral rites if public scandal were to result (c. 1184, §1, °3).

Canon 1364 also imposes an automatic excommunication upon apostates, heretics, or schismatics. This canon could also apply to Catholic Masons. If, for example, a Catholic Mason embraced the theological teachings of Freemasonry that the Church has condemned (indifferentism, syncretism), he would be in heresy by virtue of his belief in these teachings. Further, if a Catholic Mason knew the Church opposes membership in Freemasonry, and yet adamantly and persistently refused to submit to the pope’s authority in precluding his membership in the Lodge, he may also find himself in schism. Catholic Masons could also be subject to canon 1374 which imposes an interdict or just penalty upon those who join associations that plot against the Church.

For the canonical penalties to apply, the Catholic Mason would have to act in a gravely imputable way (that is, the Catholic would have to be aware of the Church’s teaching on Freemasonry and, after being warned about it, choose to disregard it). In my personal experience, a fair number of Catholic Masons do act in a gravely imputable way in regard to their Masonic membership. In these cases, the canonical penalties, including excommunication, apply. The Church's penalties are not meant to alienate the person on whom the penalty is levied. Instead, the penalties are meant to communicate to the person the gravity of his conduct, encourage his repentance and reconciliation with the Church, and bring him back into the one fold of Christ. After all, the mission of the Church is the salvation of souls.

Answer 9

You make a complaint, you will be dead before you even know it. There are more safer and appropriate ways to deal with any problem, such as legal help. Never present yourself before the beast and inside his den. See how the two guys above are trying to lure you in, they are as soft as a snake can be.

Answer 10

freemason and a catholic, two cults of the same order. This question is an oxymoron.