Freemasonry and Catholicism 
(Created 5 Jun 2009 and modified on 18 March 2011 )

The Roman Catholic Church, or at least its top leaders, hates the Craft of Freemasonry more than any other group, Religion or organization, and 'forbids' its members in joining any part of Freemasonry under the penalty of being in a State of Grave Sin, whatever that really means.

The Catholic Church also seems also to hate the Odd Fellows, the Knights of Pythias and the Sons of Temperance.   This was announced by the Arch-bishop of Cincinnati in January of 1895.  See "The Story of Freemasonry" by Sibley page 38-39.

While the Catholic Church preaches against Freemasonry, Freemasonry continues to accept Catholics into Freemasonry, as long as they are moral upright men who believe in the one Supreme Being.  A man will only be asked his Religion so the VSL of his Religion can be opened at his initiation. 

Many Freethinking Catholics, including many Catholic Priests, have been and are Freemasons.  One Pope is said to have been a Freemason until he was expelled.  They just do not tell their church leaders and believe they are smart enough to think for themselves without a priest telling them what they can and cannot do in their spare time.  They seem to have no need for a lawyer, in the form of a priest, to deal with God for them as they are smart enough to communicated directly with God..

We Freemasons don't really understand why the Catholic Church hates us.  Nor do we really give a dead rat's behind since the hatred of Freemasonry by the Catholic Church is not very important to us, but it is interesting, or at least humorous, and therefore worth some consideration, if for no other reason than a good laugh.  Perhaps even they do not really understand why they hate Freemasonry.  If you have ideas about this hatred please email me with information. Someday the Catholic Church may quit hating Freemasonry, but probably not soon as the Catholic Church institutes changes just about as fast as Freemasonry changes. The rate of change is probably on the order of a small fraction of a percent every millennium or so.  Perhaps in a few million years the Catholic Church will quit saying bad things about the Freemasons in their seemingly never-ending attempt to destroy Freemasonry.  They have not stopped us yet.  At least the Catholic Church do not seem to be going around any more burning people at the stake, so our lives are no longer at risk.  None of us Freemasons have any real concern about what the leaders of the Catholic Church have to say about our great fraternity called Freemasonry.  Let them be bigots.

Also see: 

"Humanus Genus" by Pope Leo VIII on 20 April 1884 

Why the Catholic Church Hates Freemasonry

"Vatican Declaration on Masonic Associations as of 26 Nov 1983"