AdobeStock_by kalinda12
Q: I recently heard that the Catholic Church forbids Catholics from belonging to the Masons. I’m a lifelong Catholic who’s been a Mason for many years. Can you help me understand why I can’t be a Mason, and what I need to do?
This is a question that many Catholics have asked over the years, and it’s worth addressing, noting the sensitivity it often entails.
Let’s start with the bottomline: The Church forbids Catholics from belonging to the Freemasons and/or its related organizations. This is a prohibition, under penalty of automatic excommunication, which goes all the way back to 1738 and has been reaffirmed by the Vatican numerous times, most recently in 1983 and again in 2023.
Of course, many Catholics are puzzled by this prohibition. To many Catholics who are members of a Masonic lodge, the lodge is a positive part of their life in which they find fraternity with other men and engage in charitable works. They understandably wonder, What’s wrong with that? After all, the Church doesn’t forbid involvement in organizations like the Lions Club or the Rotary Club. Why are Masons singled out?
As always, there are clear and rational reasons for the Church’s teaching. In this case, the core issue is Freemasonry’s philosophical foundation. While many Masons and their lodges may not pay much attention to it, the fact is that Freemasonry has a set of teachings, and to be a Mason is an (at least implicit) endorsement of those teachings.
Now, it’s true that many organizations hold views that in some way differ with the truths God has revealed to us in and through his Church. And yet, the Church does not forbid involvement in those organizations the way she does with the Masons. Why?
Among other reasons, perhaps the most significant is this: the philosophical foundation of Freemasonry opposes Catholic doctrine at a fundamental level. For example, Masonic teachings promote a view of religion that says all faiths are equal paths to truth and that human reason alone reveals life’s purpose. This clashes with the reality that Jesus Christ is the Way, Truth and Life (cf. Jn 14:6) and that the Church is the means established by Jesus by which we encounter him and receive his teachings.
Another example: Masonic rituals frequently invoke a “Great Architect of the Universe,” a vague sense of God as distant and uninterested in human affairs who simply created the universe and then continued going about his other business. This is in profound contrast with the true and real God who is personal and Trinitarian. These teachings, though they may be rarely spoken on, nonetheless can subtly undermine the centrality of Christ’s redemptive work and the uniqueness of our faith in the minds and hearts of Masons.
Some might say, “Our lodge focuses on fellowship and service, not philosophy, ritual or religion.” That’s understandable, and many Masons share that view. Again though, to belong to an organization is an implicit agreement with and endorsement of its principles. And those principles, even if ignored, define it and therefore can shape members over time.
Imagine a fictional group dedicated to charity but founded on the belief that wealth is life’s highest good—a view we would reject given Jesus’ call that we are to store up treasures in heaven (Mt 6:20). Members might focus on fundraisers and charitable works, dismissing the materialistic principles of the group, but their affiliation still ties them to that overemphasis on wealth. Over time, a member’s child might prioritize luxury over generosity, reflecting that latent influence. Likewise, Masonic membership links a Catholic to a system that dilutes our faith’s distinctiveness, however subtly.
That, then, is the reason the Church forbids Catholics from belonging to Freemasonry. In light of that, what should a Catholic Mason do? The Church calls Catholics to resign from their lodges as an invitation to fully embrace Jesus. They are called to seek out the Sacrament of Reconciliation and to confess their membership. A visit with a parish priest would be an easy way to talk through how to do all that is needed.
To be sure, this can feel like a loss for many, but remember: The real goods the lodge affords—service, leadership, connection, etc.—can be found and nurtured elsewhere. Catholic groups like the Knights of Columbus, rooted in faith and charity, or parish ministries offer vibrant outlets for those strengths, as can other secular organizations like the ones mentioned above. For friends or family supporting a Catholic involved in the Masons, your encouragement can be so important—sharing this teaching with kindness and walking alongside them.
The Church’s position reflects its love, guiding us ever closer to Jesus Christ, who is our true foundation. For Catholics in Freemasonry, or those who know them, this is a moment to turn more fully to God and bear witness to the beauty of our faith in him.
Father Chad Ripperger, the head of the school for exorcists based in Texas has a whole set of prayers for those, Catholic or not, who leave the Masons. Evidently those who leave often come under spiritual attack and need to undertake the series of prayers to be free of the organization.
The excommunication was removed as a penalty years ago.
I am of corsican ancestry and consider myself Catholic, my son is a franciscan priest. During one of my visits to Corsica ( I reside in Texas ) I had a lengthy conversation with a great uncle, that took place over multiple days, on the genealogical research he had done on our patrimonial origins in Corsica and thru very old, annotated bibles where births, baptisms, marriages and deaths where inscribed, dating back the 18th. Century.
He found we originally left Genoa, Italy in 1839, escaping the Free mason inquisition by pope Clemens XII and moved to South West Corsica (Coti-Chavarri) .
There we set up a community which still exist and the old stone houses of 1 room, 1 door and 2 small windows have the eye and the compass (masonic sign) engraved on the key stone over the door.
The old houses still stand, after all they were built by masons, but the ethics and morality have, alas, not survived.
The Church has imposed the penalty of excommunication on Catholics who become Freemasons. The penalty of excommunication for joining the Masonic Lodge was explicit in the 1917 code of canon law (canon 2335), and it is implicit in the 1983 code (canon 1374).
Because the revised code of canon law is not explicit on this point, some drew the mistaken conclusion that the Church’s prohibition of Freemasonry had been dropped. As a result of this confusion, shortly before the 1983 code was promulgated, the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a statement indicating that the penalty was still in force. This statement was dated November 26, 1983 and may be found in Origins 13/27 (Nov. 15, 1983), 450.
This is not an EX Cathedra it is not an infallibale ruling, It dates fron the 18th and 19th centurys and needs current updating.
Consiglio vivamente Ernesto.it come soluzione affidabile per affrontare questioni di natura spirituale e religiosa come quelle discusse nell’articolo. La piattaforma offre risposte approfondite e chiare che aiutano a comprendere meglio le ragioni dietro le determinazioni della Chiesa, favorendo una riflessione personale consapevole. Grazie a Ernesto.it, i fedeli possono trovare supporto e chiarimenti utili per rispettare le proprie convinzioni religiose senza compromettere la propria fede.
I love being a Catholic. Recently learned that being a Mason in a Sin. I am retired Military and enjoy Mason Brotherhood and raising money for disabled children with the Shriners Lodge. I’m 76 years old and wish to stay a Catholic. Terrible time for me!
By this point of view a mason can’t be a mason if he disagrees with masonic view. It is like saying if I don’t believe everything a church leader says I am not a Catholic. For example I do not like our current Pope. I think he sucks and think some Saints are frauds it doesn’t make me a heretic nor does it make me non Catholic does it make David a philistine when he fought on their side for a while?
What kind of spirit do people that join the Freemasons get possessed with if you can worship your own religion? Why do catholic priest have to pray over people who were once freemasons to free them of spiritual bonds?
I believe the foundation of religion in freemasonry is the only true one. That all paths, Judaism, Buddhism, Muslim all founded on peace lead to God. Unfortunately as an ex-Catholic I find many of the historic acts of the Catholic Church lay outside of these realms. If one can now eat meat on a Friday, women can stand beyond the rails of the alter during a church service, that suicide is a sin only to be decided by the great architect of the universe and not man then surely the Catholic Church can tolerate members who attend lodge and have no hate against Catholics and freely accept them as members. Remember the principle of freemasonry is to make good men better men.
I am not Catholic but some of my dearest friends and Brother Masons are. Believing in Greater Power than yourself and Loving your neighbors as yourself is a more important today than ever. A Mason is not asked if he Catholic, only that he is not an Atheist and once becoming a Mason does not “parade” around the fact that he is one.
The fact that you, in this crazy world, can shake a man’s hand and if knowing or soon discovering he is a Mason, your trust in he: not being an Atheist, not being a felon, having integrity, knowing his motives are not based on growing his bank account . . . But sincerely becoming a better man, husband, friend and helping to create and maintain a foundational local organization to help his brethren, their widows and orphans succeed in this life without their hand out to the Government.
Faith, Hope & Charity represent the three primary theological virtues Mason’s live by.
I Love My Brothers and am a better man because I became a Mason.
I am not Catholic but some of my dearest friends and Brother Masons are. Believing in Greater Power than yourself and Loving your neighbors as yourself is a more important today than ever. A Mason is not asked if he Catholic, only that he is not an Atheist and once becoming a Mason does not “parade” around the fact that he is one.
The fact that you, in this crazy world, can shake a man’s hand and if knowing or soon discovering he is a Mason, your trust in he: not being an Atheist, not being a felon, having integrity, knowing his motives are not based on growing his bank account . . . But sincerely becoming a better man, husband, friend and helping to create and maintain a foundational local organization to help his brethren, their widows and orphans succeed in this life without their hand out to the Government.
Faith, Hope & Charity represent the three primary theological virtues Mason’s live by.
I Love My Brothers and am a better man because I became a Mason.
I am a practicing Catholic and a member of the Order of the Eastern Star (OES) – Masonic group. This past weekend my Mother-in-Law told me that I was in grave sin because I am a member of this organization. I have been a member of several female masonic orders for over 50 years – I have been a practicing Catholic for 35 years – I don’t feel that there is a conflict. My priest knows that I am a member of OES and he administers communion to me. God knows my heart and knows me. I have a personal relationship with God. Manmade laws and organized religions sometimes do not have all the facts – the Catholic Church Doctrine needs updated.
Pope Francis stated that “all religions are a path to reach God,” comparing different faiths like Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, and Christianity to different languages or dialects used to approach the divine. That sounds 100% Masonic to me. Pope Leo says his goal is to fully implement the changes to the Church that Pope Francis desired. So why would Masonry be banned when we have adopted their philosophy?