Would You Join a Masonic Lodge?

[dekeguy]

As a practicing Roman Catholic I am somewhat confused by the position attrtibuted to the RC Church regarding Freemasonry. Before I joined my Grandfather's Lodge I asked my Archbishop to explain what was the straight story. He said that the Church was opposed to any organization that professed Athesim or anti-religious policies. After the experience of the French revolution where certain French lodges denounced belief in God and attempted to eliminate religion the RC Church condemned the Masonic order. Back in the 1960s Pope Paul VI met with the then Duke of Kent, Grand Master of Masons in England and Wales, who pointed out that regular official Masons were equally opposed to those types of organizations and likewise condemned any who fell into that category. The mistrust and animosity seems to have been an long term outgrowth of Catholic-Protestant misconceptions and misunderstandings. The Duke assured the Pope that the Masons had no fundamental objections to RC members and the Pope said that as a result of this illuminating discussion he had no objection to Catholic laity becoming (regular) Masons. If clergy wished to join they should obtain permission from their Bishop or Abbot or Religious Order Superior. The current Duke (his son and also Grand Master) has been very open to Catholic Masons and very supportive of cooperation and mutuality of interests with the RC Church.
Years later when I was in the UK I asked the late Cardinal Basil Hume about this and he said that Pope John Paul II was widely quoted in the press as saying that he saw no problem with Catholic Laity joining a "regular" lodge but a very grave problem with Catholics becoming involved with any of the "irregular" lodges or purportedly masonic organizations which allowed antireligious, athestic, or politically anti-church aims or professed attitudes. The quotation from the then Cardinal Ratzinger predates Pope John Paul II's quoted (and not to my knowledge ever denied or refuted) comments by several years. I am unaware of any new statements by Pope Benedict to contradict the comments of Pope John Paul. Absent any new information I am at a loss to figure out what the problem would be for Catholics to be Masons and Masons to be Catholics. Anybody have anything that would be helpful in this?