Reactions by the Catholic Church are swift following the revival
of the ancient Masonry in the new Freemasonry in England in 1717.
On April 28, 1738, Pope Clement XII in his Pontifical Constitution
"In Eminenti" condemned Freemasonry as being
Counter-Church and Counter-State. Thus said Pope Clement XII:
"Let us meditate upon the serious evils which are usually
the result of those kinds of Societies or centers, not only concerning
the peace of temporal States, but still more as regards the salvation
of souls. Those Societies are not in agreement with the civil
and economic laws of the States.
"In order to close the widely open road to iniquities;
which might be committed with impunity and also for other reasons,
just and reasonable, that have come to our knowledge . . . We
have resolved and decreed to condemn and forbid such Societies,
assemblies, reunions, aggregations or meetings called either
Freemasonic or known under some other denomination. WE CONDEMN
AND FORBID THEM BY THIS, OUR PRESENT CONSTITUTION, WHICH IS TO
BE CONSIDERED VALID FOR EVER."
Pope Clement XII also extended the penalty of excommunication
to any of the faithful who joined Masonry:
"WE COMMAND TO THE FAITHFUL TO ABSTAIN FROM INTERCOURSE
WITH THOSE SOCIETIES . . . IN ORDER TO AVOID EXCOMMUNICATION,
WHICH WILL BE THE PENALTY IMPOSED UPON ALL THOSE CONTRAVENING
TO THIS, OUR ORDER. NONE, EXCEPT AT THE POINT OF DEATH, COULD
BE ABSOLVED OF THIS SIN EXCEPT BY US OR THE THEN EXISTING ROMAN
PONTIFF."
Pope Benedict XIV in 1751 affirmed in his Pontifical Constitution
"Providas" that the condemnation of Freemasonry
was IRREVOCABLE and was to be applied to the FUTURE as well as
to the PRESENT."
Pope Pius VII in his Encyclical "Ecclesiam a Jesu-Cristo"
in 1821 reiterated against the Freemasons the condemnations pronounced
by Clement XII and Benedict XIV.
Pope Leo XII published his Encyclical "Quo Graviora"
on March 13, 1825 condemning the society called Freemasonry,
as well as all other Secret Societies.
Pope Pius VIII in his Encyclical "Traditi",
published at the time of his advent on May 21, 1829 renewed all
the condemnations of his predecessors, repeating that all Masonic
Sects are issued from the "WELL OF PERDITION."
Pope Pius IX renewed the condemnation in the following terms:
We hereby confirm before you the Constitutions of Our Predecessors
and in virtue of Our Apostolic Authority we hold up to reprobation
and We condemn this Masonic Society and ALL OTHER SOCIETIES of
the SAME ORDER which, although different in appearance, but pursuing
the same aim against the Church or legitimate Civil Power are
constantly being formed. It is Our order that all Christians
of any standing whatsoever, of any rank or high appointment and
OVER ALL THE EARTH should be informed that the said Societies
are forbidden and reproved by US, and incur the same sentences
and condemnations as those that are specified in the former CONSTITUTIONS
of our Predecessors."
Pope Leo XIII published his magnificent Encyclical "Humanum
Genus" on April 20, 1884. He writes:
"Today evil doers all seem allied in a tremendous effort
inspired by and with the help of a society powerfully organized
and widely spread over the world, it is the Society of Freemasons.
In fact those people no longer even try to dissimulate their
intentions, but they actually challenge each other's audacity
in order to assail God's August Majesty.
"It is now publicly and overtly that they undertake
to ruin the Holy Church, so as to succeed, if it is possible,
in the complete dispossession of Christian nations of all the
gifts they owe to Our Savior Jesus Christ.
"As a result, in the space of a century and a half,
the sect of the Freemasons has made incredible progress. Making
use at the same time of audacity and cunning, Masonry has invaded
all the ranks of social hierarchy, and In the modern States it
has begun to seize a power which is almost equivalent to Sovereignty.
"This peril was denounced for the first time by Pope
Clement XII in 1738, and the Constitution promulgated by that
Pope was renewed and confirmed by Benedict XIV; Pius VII followed
in the footsteps of those Pontiffs, and Pope Leo XII including
in his Apostolical Constitution 'Quo Graviora' all the deeds
and decrees of the preceding Popes on that subject, RATIFIED
AND CONFIRMED THEM FOR EVER. Popes Pius VIII, Gregory XVI and
on several occasions Pope Pius IX spoke in the same manner."
Pope Pius X (1903-1914), Pope Benedict XV (1914-1922), and
Pope Pius XI (1922-1939) continued affirming the condemnation
of Masonry. Pope Pius XII made one specific reference to Freemasonry
and Illuminism in his address to the Seventh Week Pastoral Adaptation
Conference on May 23, 1958. He said, "the roots of modern
apostasy lay in scientific atheism, dialectical materialism,
rationalism, illuminism, laicism, and Freemasonry - which is
the mother of them all . . . " (Quoted in Paul A. Fisher
[1991], Their God is the Devil, American Research Foundation,
Baltimore, Maryland, p. 53.)
The successors of Pius XII approved the Code of Canon Law
of 1917 which explicitly condemned the Masons: "All
those who enroll their names in the sect of Freemasons or similar
associations which plot against the Church or the legitimate
civil authorities incur by this very fact the penalty of excommunication,
absolution from which is reserved simply to the Holy See."
(Canon 2335).
The revised Code of Canon Law of 1983 stipulates: "One who joins an association which plots
against the Church is to be punished with a just penalty; one
who promotes or moderates such an association, however, is to
be punished with an interdict." (Canon 1374).
Pope John Paul II promulgated the 1983 Code of Canon Law
on January 25, 1983. On November 26, 1983, the Congregation for
the Doctrine of the Faith replied to an inquiry whether the Church's
position regarding Masonic organizations has been altered, especially
since no explicit mention is made of them in the New Code of
Canon Law [1983], as there was in the Old Code [1917]. The Congregation
stated that organizations were omitted in the New Code due to
a different criterion adopted in drafting the code. They were
included in broader categories. [See Canon 1374.] The Congregation
did not, however, specify the categories it had in mind (it might
have been thinking of such canons as Canon 1364), but it insisted
that the Church is still opposed to Masonic associations, since
their principles are irreconcilable with the Church's doctrine
and that it would be seriously wrong to join them.
[Note: Canon 1364 of 1983 Code states:
§1.
With due regard for canon 194, §1, n. 2, an apostate from
the faith, a heretic or a schismatic incurs automatic (latae
sententiae) excommunication and if a cleric, he can also
be punished by the penalties mentioned in canon 1336, §1.
nn. 1, 2 and 3.
§2.
If long lasting contumacy or the seriousness of scandal warrants
it, other penalties can be added including dismissal from the
clerical state.]
Freemasonry Condemned by the States of New York, Pennsylvania,
and Massachusetts
Paul A. Fisher [1991] reports in his book Their God is
the Devil that between 1829 and 1836 the legislatures of
the States of New York, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts investigated
Freemasonry and found it to be "a moral evil -- a distinct
independent government within our own government, and beyond
the control of the laws of the land by means of its secrecy,
and the oaths and regulations which its subjects are bound to
obey, under penalties of death" (p. 18.)