August 12, 1988 The Message -- for Catholics of Southwestern Indiana
Question Corner
13
Q&A
By FATHER JOHN DIETZEN
NC News Service Columnist
Why does the Church frown
on Masonic se,,00ieties?
Q. I am a Mason, 32nd degree, Shriner and
also a "Catholic." Married 48 years, three children
and six grandchildren.
I attend the Catholic Church regularly with my
wife but feel incomplete as a Catholic because of
my membership in this fraternity. During my ex-
perience I have not seen anything anti-Catholic or
against any religion. Why can I not receive Com-
munion like other Catholic people? I would ap-
preciate receiving the brochure you offer on the
[Masons.
--Louisiana
A. You give no details about your membership
in this order. Did you join as a young man and
then become a Catholic later? Did you join while
you were a Catholic, knowing about the prohibi-
tion against such membership?
Whatever the circumstances, enrollment in any
Masonic society remains seriously prohibited by
the Catholic Church.
Your experience of the religious neutrality of
Masonic groups is shared by the large majority of
Masons in the United States. However, anyone
familiar with the history of Europe and America
during the past 200 years is aware that the
character of Masonry changes drastically from one
place or time to another.
Political and social positions viciously an-
tagonistic to the church and other religions have
been and still are common to Masonry in some
parts of Europe and Latin America. With a few
notable exceptions, these have hardly been evident
in the United States.
It is worth noting that major objections of
Christians (by no means only Catholics) against
Freemasonry have been not only its sometimes
anti-religious activities; many aspects of its beliefs
and quasi-religious rituals seem contradictory to
Christian doctrines.
It was this in particular which inspired the
strongest condemnation yet by American bishops
of membership in Masonic organizations. A June
1985 report from the National Conference of
Catholic Bishops calls Freemasonry "irrecon-
cilable" not only with Catholicism but with all
Christianity. The principles and basic rituals of
Masonry, the report cited, "embody a naturalistic
religion, active participation in which is incom-
patible with Christian faith and practice. Those
who knowingly embrace such principles are com-
mitting a serious sin" by professing beliefs which
are contrary to Christianity.
The study also describes the "politically reac-
tionary and racist" nature of most U.S. Masonry
today. With the exception of one local lodge in
New Jersey that admits blacks, the report in-
dicated, "all women, men under 21 and blacks are
barred from Masonic initiation in regular lodges."
To my knowledge this is still true.
In the United States, and probably most other
English-speaking countries at least, few Freemason
lodges, and even fewer individual Masons, would
espouse the religious and social positions which so
frequently have given Masonry a less than
favorable reputation.
Nevertheless, these are the reasons that
Catholics and other Christian churches around the
world forbid or discourage affiliation with Masonic
societies.
A free brochure explahTing Catholic teaching
on cremation and other burial policies is available
by sending a stamped self-addressed envelope to
Father John Dietzen, Holy Trinity Parish, 704 N.
Main St., Bloomington, Ill. 61701.
Questions for this column should be sent to
Father Dietzen at the same address.
Copyright (c) 1988 by NC News Service
0 "Connor sla ted to speak a t Ministry Day IV
Kevin O'Connor, co-author of
"Handbook for Ministers of
Care," is scheduled to present
a focus session on the ministry
of caring, at Ministry Day IV,
4October 15.
Described in a brochure as a
"day of renewal, revival and
reaffirmation for all parish
ministers,". Ministry Day IV
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O'Connor has a master's
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In addition to the focus ses-
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Philip J. McBrien, Director of
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McBrien has worked in
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organizers of Ministry Day IV.
Bishop Untener, the keynote
speaker, recently presented the
first of a series of lectures,
"Viewpoints from Bishops," at
the University of San Diego.
The bishop asked the group
of San Diego Catholics to try to
understand the Second Vatican
Council by imagining how it
will be viewed in 500 years, ac-
cording to NC News.
"Five hundred years from
now, what would be looked
upon as the single greatest
change or shift achieved by
Vatican II?" he asked.
The bishop compared church
changes with the shifting of the
great tectonic plates beneath
the surface of the earth. "They
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