I am catholic, can I be a free mason if not why? Please explain this is really important as to my career!!?

Answer 1

Canon Law Regarding Freemasonry (1917-1983)

This Code of Canon Law, Can 2335, forbids Catholics, under the penalty of excommunication, to enroll in Masonic or other similar associations.

Can 2335: Affiliation With Masonic or Similar Societies. Those who join a Masonic sect or other societies of the same sort, which plot against the Church or against legitimate civil authority, incur ipso facto an excommunication simply reserved to the Holy See. (c. 2335). [p. 924.] Simply Reserved to the Holy See (4) 1. Masonic Societies (c. 2335). a. The censure is incurred if the society is one which plots against Church or State, openly or secretly, whether members are secret or not, bound by oath or not. Cappelo thinks Socialists are included. Communist party certainly is. Knights of Pythias, Odd Fellows, Sons of Temperance, are forbidden as intrinsically wrong, but not under censure (Holy Office, 20 June, 1895, 18 Jan., 1896). b. Conditions for absolution: total withdrawal from the society, promise to have nothing to do with it and pay no more dues, to repair scandal as far as possible, to turn over insignia, etc., to withdraw name from rolls as soon as this can be done without grave loss (Holy Office, 7 March 1883; Gasparri-Serédi, Fontes, n. 1080, Vol. IV, p. 412). c. In the case of the Knights of Pythias, Odd Fellows, Sons of Temperance, no censure has been incurred. The conditions for absolution of the sin are the same as above except that, to avoid grave loss, a person may continue paying dues. The confessor must refer each case to the Apostolic Delegate or his Metropolitan (Holy Office, 18 Jan., 1896; Ecclesiastical Review, Vol. 14, p. 361). [p. 960.] [c. 1399] Books forbidden ipso iure 8. Books Favoring Dueling, Suicide, Divorce, Masonry. Books which hold dueling, suicide or divorce licit, or which, treating of Masonic sects and other such societies, contend that they are useful and not harmful to the Church and civil society are ipso iure forbidden (c. 1399, 8°).

Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith

It has been asked whether there has been any change in the Church’s decision in regard to Masonic associations since the new Code of Canon Law does not mention them expressly, unlike the previous Code.

This Sacred Congregation is in a position to reply that this circumstance in due to an editorial criterion which was followed also in the case of other associations likewise unmentioned inasmuch as they are contained in wider categories.

Therefore 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. The faithful who enrol in Masonic associations are in a state of grave sin and may not receive Holy Communion.

It is not within the competence of local ecclesiastical authorities to give a judgment on the nature of Masonic associations which would imply a derogation from what has been decided above, and this in line with the Declaration of this Sacred Congregation issued on 17 February 1981 (cf. AAS 73 1981 pp. 240-241; English language edition of L’Osservatore Romano, 9 March 1981).

In an audience granted to the undersigned Cardinal Prefect, the Supreme Pontiff John Paul II approved and ordered the publication of this Declaration which had been decided in an ordinary meeting of this Sacred Congregation.

Rome, from the Office of the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, 26 November 1983.

Joseph Card. RATZINGER Prefect

Answer 2

There are two different stories here. The Vatican says no as the Masons deny that there is any definite Truth and this is against Church teaching. In their initiation rite they actually say that the person has undergone a change and this is too much like a sacramental thing. The thing is that this was started as a way to worship demons . Bad stuff. Now on the other hand they say that the old times of the Masons being against the Church is over and many Masons are certainly Christians. I think it depends upon what your local Bishop says as to weather you can be a Mason or not but, the general consensus is no and if you do join you are excommunicating yourself from the Church.

It looks by the above post that the Masons have not changed and they are still against the Church by what that guy said about the Popes. Too bad.

Answer 3

Here some real info.... email me for more..

http://www.mainemason.org/becomeone/index.asp
read number 5

Only thing catholic have a problem with is masonry teaches all men are equal. This conflicts with the idea of the pope being infallible. So in 1736 the pope decreed no catholic can join the masons

But Masons have no problem accepting any catholic who want to join

Please if you have questions ask me i will get to reliable sites

some sites tell you masons are evil but they will also tell you Elvis is alive and Bush planned 9-11. So make sure you are on a good web site


The women below somehow took my answer as meaning Masons are against the church nothing could be further from the truth. No discussion about reilgon are allowed at a lodge meeting

At no point has Masonry ever been against the church
Go to wikipedia or any grand lodge web site

Answer 4

Freemasonry is objected to by the Catholic religion, but Freemasonry is not truly a religion, but more a way to be religious without being in a religion. What's really really important is that you understand what is taught in the Bible, especially the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, and follow those teachings. Then when you see yourself in a position where you are compromising your faith, you will know it. I believe Masonry is part of a "world system" that by appearance looks in harmony with Christianity, but under the surface has some secret agenda that is Post-Christian or Anti-Christian. It's not a substitute for religion, but it has it's dangers, because it makes you feel like a good decent person, but you need to obtain forgiveness from God through Christ, and there is no other way.
I hope this helps, I personally would have nothing to do with it.

Answer 5

You can join, but only with the permission of your Bishop. I wouldn't recommend it, though.

Although the 1983 Code of Canon Law no longer specifically forbids being a Mason, it does forbid membership in secret societies. The Masons have a LONG history of being vehemently anti Catholic.

If your career success depends on your membership in the Masons, I think you really need to examine your priorities. Which is more important to you- your job or your faith? And which will be more important to you when you stand before God on your judgement day?

Answer 6

A candidate for Freemasonry must apply to a Private (or Constituent) Lodge in his community, obtaining an introduction by asking an existing member. In some jurisdictions, it is required that the petitioner ask three times, however this is becoming less prevalent. In other jurisdictions, more open advertising is utilized to inform potential candidates where to go for more information. Regardless of how a potential candidate receives his introduction to a Lodge, he must be freely elected by secret ballot in open Lodge. Members approving his candidacy will vote with "white balls" in the voting box. Adverse votes by "black balls" will exclude a candidate. The number of adverse votes necessary to reject a candidate, which in some jurisdictions is as few as one, is set out in the governing Constitution of the presiding Grand Lodge.

Generally to be a regular Freemason, a man must:

Be a man who comes of his own free will.
Believe in a Supreme Being.
Be at least the minimum age (18–25 years old depending on the jurisdiction).
Be of sound mind and body (Lodges do not deny membership to a man because of a physical disability; this is largely a historical holdover, and if a potential candidate says there will be no problem, he will be taken at his word), of good morals, and of good repute.
Be free (or "born free", i.e. not born a slave or bondsman. As with the previous, this is largely a historical holdover, and can be interpreted in the same manner as it is in context of writing a will. Some jurisdictions have removed this requirement).
Have character references, as well as one or two references from current Masons, depending on jurisdiction.
A candidate is asked 'Do you believe in a Supreme Being?'. Since an initiate is obligated on the sacred volume which is applicable to his faith, a sponsor will enquire as to an appropriate volume once a decision has been made on the applicant's suitability for initiation.

A number of Grand Lodges allow a Lewis, (the son of a Mason), to be initiated earlier than the normal minimum age for that jurisdiction, although no earlier than the age of 18.

Some Grand Lodges in the United States have a residence requirement, candidates being expected to have lived within the jurisdiction for certain period of time, typically six months.

It is notable that the requirement for the candidate to have a belief in a Supreme Being is present in some, but not all, Co-Masonic bodies, leading to a significant divergence in organisational direction and philosophy.

Additionally, in regard to women as members; The position of women and Freemasonry is complex and without an easy explanation. Traditionally, only men can be made Freemasons in Regular Freemasonry. Many Grand Lodges do not admit women because they believe it would break the ancient Masonic Landmarks. However, there are many female orders associated with regular Freemasonry, such as the Order of the Eastern Star, the Order of the Amaranth, the White Shrine of Jerusalem, the Social Order of Beauceant and the Daughters of the Nile. In addition, there are many non-mainstream Masonic bodies that do admit both men and women or exclusively women.

Good luck to you!

Answer 7

Lyle Larrigan
FREEMASONRY IN A NUTSHELL
A Christian frequently must render a decision about supporting or joining various organizations that exist in the community. In some cases it may be a service club, a charitable organization or a secret society such as one of the lodges. In all cases, the Christian should carefully examine the articles or constitutional principles that the organization is based upon.
In the case of the lodges, that is somewhat difficult to do, especially as lodge members are under oath not to divulge the nature of the foundational principles or the ceremonies that are carried out in the temples. However most comprehensive public libraries have copies of some official lodge publications and books written by Masons, ex-Masons, and non-Masons available for anyone who wishes to find out details of lodge rituals and beliefs.
While some Masons deny that Freemasonry is a religion, there are some like Coil, the author of "Coil's Masonic Encyclopedia" who would agree that it is a religion. When one considers that the lodge meeting places are called "temples", prayer is directed to a supreme deity called "The Great (or Grand) Architect of the Universe" at the opening and closing of all meetings and the Bible is considered a "piece" of lodge furniture and is referred to in some of the rituals, it becomes quite apparent that Freemasonry can be and is considered a religion by most people who have done research into its workings.
In his 1984 book titled "The Brotherhood", Stephen Knight, a journalist and author attempted to take as objective a point-of-view as he could in deciding whether or not Masonry was guilty of devil worship as many had charged, and whether or not it was compatible with Christianity. He decided that the matter did not require a great deal of knowledge of theology. On page 231 of his book we find:
"One does not have to be a theologian - nor even a Freemason or a Christian - to recognize that Christians and Freemasons would have to worship the same God for the two to be compatible. The question simply, then, is do they?
If Freemasonry were found, despite its protestations to the contrary, to be a quasi-religion and to have a different god from the Christian God, then the two would naturally be incompatible."
On pages 235 and 236, Knight goes on to reveal the
"ineffable" name of the G.A.O.T.U. which is deliberately hidden from the candidates and lower degree Masons.
"In fact the Masonic god - cloaked under the description Great Architect - has a specific name and a particular nature, which has nothing to do with Christ, Vishnu, Buddha, Mohammed or any other being recognized by the great faiths of the modern world."
"Two-thirds of Freemasons never realize the untruth of the line they are fed as to the identity of the Great Architect, because it is deliberately kept hidden from them. It is no overstatement to say that most Freemasons, even those without strong religious convictions would never have joined the Brotherhood if they had not been the victims of this subtle trick".
"The true name, although not the nature of the Masonic god, is revealed only to those Third Degree Masons who elect to be "exalted" to the Holy Royal Arch.""In the ritual of exaltation, the name of the Great Architect of the Universe is revealed as JAH-BUL-ON - not a general umbrella term open to any interpretation an individual Freemason might choose but a precise designation that describes a specific supernatural being - a compound deity composed of three separate personalities fused into one. Each syllable of the "ineffable name" represents one personality of this trinity:
JAH = Jahweh, the God of the Hebrew.
BUL = Baal, the ancient Canaanite fertility god associated with "licentious rites of imitative magic".
"ON = Osiris, the ancient Egyptian god of the underworld
Coil records this in his Encyclopedia on page 516 as,
"Jah, Bel, and On appear in the American ritual of the Royal Arch degree on the supposition that Jah was the Syriac name of God, Bel (Baal) the Chaldean, and On, the Egyptian."
Anyone with a reasonable amount of Sunday School training will recall the great difficulties that the nation of Israel experienced whenever they became caught in the practice of Baal worship. 1 Kings, chapter 18 records the showdown between Elijah, the true prophet, the 450 prophets of Baal, and the 400 prophets of the grove. Verse 24 of chapter 18 says,
"And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God."
The account goes on to tell us that Baal did not, indeed, could not answer the 450 prophets, while God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob answered Elijah and consumed not only the offering, but also the wet wood and the trench full of water around the offering. Subsequently, the prophets of Baal were executed as they were false and had led the people of Israel into false idolatry.

Answer 8

I don't think so. Catholicism doesn't permit it and I don't believe you would be accepted into the group. I know that when my father was going through marriage classes to marry my mother, the priest ask him if anyone in his family belonged to any secret societies like...the Free Masons. My grandfather was a free mason and my grandmother a member of the Eastern Star. I don't believe it's a "secret society," but I still think you are prohibited from joining.

Answer 9

The mason would probably accept you if you have a sponsor. However, the Roman Catholic church will excoriate you because they created the Knights of Columbus just so its communicants would not join an organization the term a heresy.

Answer 10

the only pope i know that had any dealings with the masons was pope john xxiii also known as cardinal roncalli, it really doesn't matter if any pope was a heretic, freemason or even a secret admirer of communism, the lord jesus christ has publicly stated that no harm would come to his church regarding faith or morals and that's how it has been for over 2000 years and will be in the future