Hello All,

I am brand new to this site and am very happy I found it.  I am a convert to catholicism since about 2000.  I have a very strong faith and have been learning alot about the church as I continue to grow.  I was raised up in the Baptist Church and then Assembly of God church.  My mother who recently passed away was the MOST faithful women I have ever known or probably will ever know.  She was so totally committed to God up to the very last moments of her death and I am so thankful that my faith was built on her example and guidance.

Although I eventually drifted away from the "Assembly of God" Church, my faith in our God will never be waivered.  I have always been fascinated by the Catholic Church and found it quite "peaceful" versus the yelling and fingerpointing atmosphere of the Assembly of God Church..   I feel complete and comfortable in the Catholic church and feel that there is more reverance to God in Mass then in other churches I have attended. 

So, having this brief description of my past, I ask this question about Freemasons....

Prior to becoming a Catholic, I was a Freemason in a local NH Lodge.  I enjoyed being a Mason.  A Mason centers himself on being a model citizen who helps his fellow man and has faith in God.  I have read many questions about Catholics and Catholicism and I'm still not satified with the answers.  I left the Masons when I became a Catholic because the Church was against it.  I never quite understood why because there was nothing that was done within the Masonic Fraternity that I would have considered displeasing to God.

I have seen that all of the Popes have said that a Catholic is committing "Grave Sin" if he is a Mason and may not take communion.  I understand that the Church does not want people involved in a "Secret Society".  The Mason's are not a secret society, but merely a "society with some secrets".  Well, the Knights of Columbus also holds a secret about their degree process.    The Mason's meetings are held outside of the public, they have secret handshakes and some terms that you can say in front of another Mason that would indicate your a Mason.  All of this however is just part of being in a Fraternity, nothing is immoral, there is nothing that happens in meetings that are immoral and nothing at all that I can possibly see that would be displeasing to God!

I'm actually considering re-joining the Masons.  My faith in our Lord has not changed, I'm not unhappy with the Church but I'm wondering if this position is based on ignorance of the Masonic Fraternity or for what other reason.

Can anyone help me with a clear, understandable reason why Catholics cannot be Masons?

There is also the problem with the Masons being strongly anti-Catholic.  We don't see it much in North America (a reason why the North American Bishops wanted the Masons to be excluded from the ban in Canon Law) but in Europe they are still actively working against the Catholic Church which is why the ban is still in place.

May I suggest the Knights of Columbus? A wonderful Catholic mens organization!!!!

Tmarie64 wrote:

Masons are very anti-Catholic.
Join the Knights of Columbus, they are a good strong Catholic men's organization.  My husband has been a member, 4th degree, for 7 years. 
4th degree Knights are the ones you see in the capes, chapeau, tuxes, with the swords.

Freemasonry is not Anti-Catholic....
From Rev. Thomas C. Anslow, C.M., J.C.L. Judicial Vicar
Thank you for your inquiry of September 11, 2000 directed to Cardinal Mahoney, on whose behalf I am replying. The question is "whether a practicing Catholic may join a Masonic Lodge." 
Unfortunately, the matter is too complex for a straightforward "yes" or "no" answer. But at least for Catholics in the United States, I believe the answer is probably yes. Permit me to explain this qualified response.
Your letter states that a member’s "allegiance to one God is all we require." To the extent that this is an accurate statement of the organization’s beliefs and teachings, and that its activities are humanitarian and charitable in nature, there is no reason to prevent a practicing Catholic from joining. 
Past history, of course, has muddied the waters because earlier church law (prior to November 27, 1983) specifically named Masonic groups as a forbidden society (canon 2335, 1917 Code). The dialogues between Catholic and Masonic representatives in the years since the Second Vatican Council were generally very positive and yet did not resolve questions or concerns raised in certain parts of the world. As a result, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in Rome issued a statement one day before the new Code of Canon Law took effect (November 26, 1983), in which it held that since Masonic principles were still contrary to the teachings of the Church, Catholics would commit a grave sin in belonging to Masonic associations and so could not receive Holy Communion. 
Because this declaration has not been superseded by any further official statements, the question keeps recurring about its interpretation and application. There is no agreement among the experts in church law who have considered the matter. Consequently one can only judge the individual circumstances in light of the principles that clearly do apply. These principles are set forth in canons 1374 and 1364 of the 1983 Code, which forbid a Catholic from joining "an association which plots against the Church" and impose penalties for heresy under certain conditions. If "a particular Masonic lodge truly promoted heretical teaching or conspired against the interests of the Church" (Ronny E. Jenkins, "The Evolution of the Church’s Prohibition Against Catholic Membership in Freemasonry," The Jurist, 56 (1996), pg 735,) then a Catholic would be bound to avoid membership. 
The reason, then, I answer 'probably yes' is because I am unaware of any ideology or practice by the local lodges that challenges or subverts the doctrine and interests of the Catholic Church. In the previous paragraph, I have cited the article which best presents the current state of the question. The 1974 newspaper clipping that you enclosed with your letter probably refers to a letter written by Cardinal Seper, then in charge of the same doctrinal congregation mentioned above, which was addressed to certain bishops. In this letter one can see the movement at that time from a blanket prohibition to the application of a case-by-case judgment whether a group did in fact conspire against the Church. The history of the development of the Church’s current law suggests that this case-by-case approach is what canon 1374 on forbidden associations intends. 
Please forgive this lengthy reply, but a shorter one would not do justice to those inquirers who are aware that the matter is still controversial. I thank you for giving me the opportunity to learn more about it myself, and I close by asking God’s blessing on your well-known endeavors to relieve human suffering and assist the needy.
Rev. Thomas C. Anslow, C.M., J.C.L. Judicial Vicar

Freemasonry is not a religion it only requires a belief in God. Belief in God is faith, Belief about God is religion..

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Knights of Columbus Fellowship with Freemasonry:

During this year's Relay for Life in Punxsutawney, Bro. Harry G. Bodenhorn, P.M., Junior Warden, John W. Jenks Lodge No. 534, West Grove, proudly escorted 12-year-old Alexa Bleu Amundson, a cancer survivor, under the archway of swords formed by members of the local Knights of Columbus chapter and John W. Jenks Lodge.

When the Knights of Columbus asked the Masons for assistance forming the archway last year, the Masons gladly stepped forward to help. Many of the brethren also walked in the Relay for Life, which raised an estimated $70,000 this year.

Cooperation between the Knights and Masons during the past two years at the Relay for Life continues to reinforce the work of the fraternities within the Punxsutawney community.

http://www.pagrandlodge.org/freemason/1108/page16d.html
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Above is just one example of Fellowship between The K of C and the Lodge, There are thousands more examples of Masons coming together every year to help the Catholic Church in many verities of activities..

Freemasonry does not discriminate against potential members on the basis of religion.

To discriminate against anyone on any basis violates the Masonic Code.

The ban against a catholic becoming a Mason is decreed by the catholic church.