33. Catholicism and Masonry (II)

We continue in this chapter with the issue of Freemasonry and the prohibition that the Church sets of belonging to it. But to understand the why of this prohibition it is necessary to understand not only the concept of God that is infused in the mason – seen in the last chapter, but also the obligations required of him. Below are some of the papal documents of condemnation, especially the “Humanum Genus” of Leo XIII.

– Keep secret what was discussed at the meetings.

– To work intensively on the internal development which will redound to the benefit of others.

– Comply with what is established in the Statutes.

In addition, these three obligations are broken down into a multitude of obligations and specific tasks: -Respect and know all the rites and statutes. – Participate in the Masonic rites, replacing even the civil and religious ceremonies, such as marriage, by the masonic. -Use the symbols for each grade level as well as the “symbolic name” of each individual. -Address as “brother” all Masons and treat them as such even at the risk of his own life and above the laws of each nation. -Celebrate the great feasts of freemasonry that coincide with the solstices. – Pay the Fees. -To fulfill the so-called “Masonic works,” that can be studies or discussions on any topic. -Projecting on the profane world, masonic or not, the Masonic spirit of tolerance, brotherhood, etc. – to promote the return to the ecology and the protection of nature. – The rejection of drugs. – The ethical rationalism. – The promotion of the state confessional. – The opposition to vivisection, the penalty of death, boxing, the feast of the bulls, hunting, fishing, etc. -Opposition to the financing of private education on the part of the State and to the teaching of a particular religion in the school. – Acceptance of birth control, divorce, euthanasia, etc.

As can be seen, some of these rules are perfectly acceptable for Catholics, while others are directed against the Christian morality and even against its own ecclesial structure and its educational mission and evangelization. For this reason, the Church does not take long to speak against Masonry. This opposition is based on the following points:

– Breach of the first commandment. The Masons have a concept of divinity, opposite to the direction of the Judeo-Christian revelation. They do not accept a personal God nor aTriune God, the one and only true God. His deity is impersonal: the false god of reason.

– Violation of the second Commandment. The serious abuse of the oaths. Formally invoke the deity in their initiation rites to restrain the man, under direct sanctions, to goals contrary to the divine will.

– Its rejection of the Catholic Church, which it seeks to destroy. (Its goal of destroying the Church is amply documented).

The main points of confrontation, after Vatican II, are:

– The “Great Architect of the Universe” is an abstract concept of God, not a personal Being.

– The moral masona is not tied to any particular religious belief; it is a subjective morality.

– The double moral masona that preaches absolute freedom but requires initiatory oaths and imposes tremendously strict standards to its members.

– The autonomy of reason masona compared to the relation of faith and reason of the Church.

– The esoteric and the syncretism mason that seeks to level all religions giving Jesus Christ the role of grand master at the same level that Buddha, Muhammad, Zoroaster, etc. but by removing his divinity.

– The ambiguity masona that implies that it is not possible to know the truth, compared with Christian revelation.

For all these reasons, on April 24, 1738 (21 years after the official foundation of the Freemasonry) Clement XII wrote “In eminenti,” the first encyclical against Freemasonry. Since then it has been forbidden for Catholics to come into Freemasonry. (Orthodox and some Protestant groups have also banned on several occasions the entry of its members into  Freemasonry).

Other Papal Documents – in total 371- that expose the error of Freemasonry were promulgated after, according to the Church was seeing a need for renewed condemnation of this institution and to remind Catholics the prohibition of belonging to the same. Benedict XIV did so on 18 May 1751. Pius VII, with the “Ecclesiam a Jesu Christo,” the 13 of September of 1821. Leo XII, “Quo Graviora,” the 13 of March of 1825. Pius VIII, “Traditi Humilitati,” 24 May 1829. Gregory XVI, with the encyclical “Mirari Vos” (one of the most important on the topic), the 15 of August, 1832. Pius IX, with the encyclical “Qui Pluribus,” 9 November 1846. Leo XIII, with the encyclical “Humanum Genus,” 20 April 1884, perhaps the main papal document on the subject. This same pontiff returned to renew the condemnation of Freemasonry on 15 October 1890 with the document “Dall’alto dell’Apostolic scialara” and with the encyclical “Inimica Vos,” of 8 December 1892.

In the “Humanum Genus,” Leo XIII stated, among other things: “The purpose of Freemasonry is the overthrow of all the religious and political order of the world that has produced the Christian teaching and replace it by a new order according to their ideas.” “Their ideas come from a mere ‘naturalism,’ The fundamental doctrine of naturalism is that nature and human reason should be free and guides of all.” “Masonry claims to be the ‘natural’ religion of man. So, he says have their origin in the beginning of the story.” “The concept of a mason god is opposite to the Catholic Church. They do not accept from God but a purely philosophical and natural knowledge.” (God then is an image of man. Why not have a clear distinction between the immortal spirit of man and God). “They deny that God has taught us anything. They do not accept the dogmas of religion nor the truth that cannot be understood by human intelligence.” “They do not care about the duties to God. They pervert them with wrong and vague views.” “Masonry enacts a syncretism that mixes the mysteries from the intrigue of the ancient near east up to the technological manipulation of the western modernism.” “It teaches that the Catholic Church is a cult. Their opposition to the Catholic Church precedes the Church’s opposition against it.” “From the foregoing, one concludes that Catholicism and Freemasonry are essentially opposed. If one desists from its opposition to the other, he would cease to be what he is.”

The encyclical makes a reflection based on the “two cities of St. Augustine that represent two opposing kingdoms at war. On the one hand Jesus Christ, in the other is Satan. The force behind the Masonry, the cause of their deceit and his hatred of the truth of Jesus cannot be but Satan, the prince of lies.