Thursday, May 22, 2025, I wrote:
Bishop Strickland Warns Against Freemasonry: ‘Incompatible With Our Catholic Faith’
"(LifeSiteNews) — “Bear not the yoke with unbelievers. For what participation hath justice with injustice? Or what fellowship hath light with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14).
In these times of growing confusion, a shepherd must speak with clarity. There has been a noticeable rise in online voices claiming that Freemasonry is compatible with Catholicism or at least harmless to those seeking to authentically live the One True Faith. That claim is not new, but it is false. The Catholic Church has always and consistently condemned Freemasonry, not out of malice, but out of a concern for the integrity of the Faith and the salvation of souls.
As a bishop and servant of the Gospel, I wish to clarify that a Catholic may not become a Freemason. The principles of Freemasonry are irreconcilable with the doctrine of the Church. Membership in any Masonic association is a grave sin and bars one from receiving Holy Communion. This has been taught by the Church for nearly three centuries and has never changed.
Let us briefly look at the unwavering voice of the Church on this matter:
In 1738, Pope Clement XII, in his papal bull In Eminenti, issued the first formal condemnation of Freemasonry, warning of its secrecy and its opposition to the Church.
In 1884, Pope Leo XIII, in his great encyclical Humanum Genus, explained in depth how the Masonic worldview seeks to overthrow the Christian order and replace it with secular naturalism.
In 1983, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, under Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI), issued a declaration reiterating: “The Church’s negative judgment in regard to Masonic associations remains unchanged, since their principles have always been considered irreconcilable with the doctrine of the Church. Hence, membership in them remains forbidden. The faithful who enroll in Masonic associations are in a state of grave sin and may not receive Holy Communion.” This statement was personally approved by Pope John Paul II and has never been rescinded.
This condemnation is not based on politics or history alone, but on deep spiritual and doctrinal reasons. Freemasonry treats all religions as equally valid paths to truth. It teaches that belief in a generic “Great Architect” is sufficient, rejecting the unique revelation of Jesus Christ. However, our Lord said: “I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No man cometh to the Father, but by Me” (John 14:6). To join an organization that denies this exclusive claim is to deny Christ Himself.
Freemasonry is grounded in naturalism – the belief that human reason and moral effort alone are sufficient. It denies the need for divine grace and revelation.
Pope Leo XIII warned:
“Their ultimate purpose forces itself into view – namely, the utter overthrow of that whole religious and political order of the world which the Christian teaching has produced” (Humanum Genus, 10).
Masonic lodges often require secret oaths and rituals, which are incompatible with Christian openness and fidelity to the Church. These oaths create a false fraternity that often places Masonic allegiance above all others.
Freemasonry has historically supported ideologies and revolutions hostile to the Catholic Church, especially in Europe and Latin America. And while some lodges today may appear more charitable or benign, the underlying principles remain.
Blessed Pope Pius IX did not mince words: “The sect of the Freemasons is the enemy of God and of the Church. It wishes to substitute naturalism for the supernatural order established by God.”
He further condemned the false notion that liberty of conscience and religion should be proclaimed as rights in every society, noting that such beliefs are rooted in Masonic influence.
One of the Church’s clearest voices against Freemasonry in modern times is St. Maximilian Kolbe. In 1917, while studying in Rome, he witnessed a Masonic demonstration outside the Vatican in which banners were carried mocking the Holy Father. This experience led him to found the Militia Immaculata, a movement dedicated to spiritual warfare against Freemasonry through total consecration to the Blessed Virgin Mary. From the original charter of the Militia Immaculata: “Modern times are dominated by Satan and will be more so in the future. The conflict with hell cannot be engaged by men, even the most clever. The Immaculata alone has from God the promise of victory over Satan.”
His mission was clear: “To convert sinners, heretics, schismatics, Jews, and especially Freemasons, and to sanctify all under the patronage and through the mediation of the Immaculate Virgin.” This was no campaign of hate, but of conversion and hope.
There are those who say, “But today it’s just a charitable fraternity.” However, charity detached from truth is not true charity. No matter how kind the exterior, the underlying principles of Freemasonry – naturalism, indifferentism, and opposition to the Church – remain incompatible with the Catholic faith.
There are also some who point out that the 1983 Code of Canon Law does not mention Freemasonry. That is true – but the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith made it explicitly clear in the same year: “The omission … must be ascribed to an editorial criterion … and must be interpreted in the light of the Church’s teaching.”
Some would ask, “What if a Catholic is already a Mason?” The answer to that question is that they must repent, leave the lodge, and make a good Confession. Reconciliation is always possible through the mercy of Christ. But remaining in Freemasonry is incompatible with life in grace.
Let me emphasize that this is not a matter of harshness, but of clarity and love. Christ came not to flatter the world, but to save it. And He gave us His Church to guard the truth. As St. Paul teaches:
“Let no man deceive you with vain words. For because of these things cometh the anger of God upon the children of unbelief” (Ephesians 5:6).
“For all you are the children of light, and children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness” (I Thessalonians 5:5).
Let us turn not to secret societies, but to the open wounds of Christ’s Sacred Heart. Let us reject all darkness and deception and walk boldly in the light of truth.
Let me speak plainly: Freemasonry is a grave spiritual danger, and the Church has condemned it for good reason. The teaching is not harsh – it is merciful. It is the voice of a mother warning her children of poison. It is the voice of a shepherd guarding the flock from the wolf.
As a bishop, I urge you: if you have had any involvement with Freemasonry, come home. Come to Confession. Come to the light of Christ.
And as always, cling to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Immaculate who crushes the head of the serpent and leads us to Her Son.
“Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love” (Colossians 1:13).
Let there be no fellowship with darkness. Let there be no compromise with error. Let us belong to Christ, and to Christ alone."
This article was previously published on Bishop Strickland’s Substack page. Republished with permission.
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Gene DeLalla
