- Feb 5, 2002
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In his article, Fr. Alex Zenthoefer gives Catholics three main reasons why one cannot be both a Freemason and a faithful member of Holy Mother Church.
(LifeSiteNews) — The vicar general of the Diocese of Evansville, Indiana has reminded Catholics that the Church does not allow its embers to join Freemasonic Lodges.
“We cannot support organizations… that stand against the Catholic Church and have its downfall as one of their objectives,” Father Alex Zenthoefer explained in The Message, the diocese’s newspaper, earlier this month.
Freemasonry has been condemned by more than seven popes throughout Church history, beginning with Clement XII in 1738. However, the revised 1983 Code of Canon Law made no explicit mention of it. The previous 1917 Code of Canon Law, on the other hand, punished Catholics with automatic excommunication if they were found guilty of associating with Masonry.
In November of 1983, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who was serving as the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, issued a “Declaration on Masonic Associations” that sought to clarify the omission. The “negative judgment” of the Church toward Masonry “remains unchanged,” he said. Any Catholic who becomes a Mason is “in a state of grave sin and may not receive Holy Communion.”
Continued below.
www.lifesitenews.com
(LifeSiteNews) — The vicar general of the Diocese of Evansville, Indiana has reminded Catholics that the Church does not allow its embers to join Freemasonic Lodges.
“We cannot support organizations… that stand against the Catholic Church and have its downfall as one of their objectives,” Father Alex Zenthoefer explained in The Message, the diocese’s newspaper, earlier this month.
Freemasonry has been condemned by more than seven popes throughout Church history, beginning with Clement XII in 1738. However, the revised 1983 Code of Canon Law made no explicit mention of it. The previous 1917 Code of Canon Law, on the other hand, punished Catholics with automatic excommunication if they were found guilty of associating with Masonry.
In November of 1983, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who was serving as the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, issued a “Declaration on Masonic Associations” that sought to clarify the omission. The “negative judgment” of the Church toward Masonry “remains unchanged,” he said. Any Catholic who becomes a Mason is “in a state of grave sin and may not receive Holy Communion.”
Continued below.
Catholic priest writes op-ed defending Church's ban on Freemasonry: 'An explicit hostility' - LifeSite
In his article, Fr. Alex Zenthoefer gives Catholics three main reasons why one cannot be both a Freemason and a faithful member of Holy Mother Church.
www.lifesitenews.com
