Vatican Pronouncements with respect to Freemasonry

Freemasonry teaches tolerance for all Religions and only requires that its members believe in a single Supreme Being or Diety we refer to as the Grand Archetect. Not all religions however, are equally tolerant of Freemasonry as illustrated by these links to various Vatican Documents.

The first two documents were originated by Pope Leo XIII in the late 19th century. They are long and dense reading.

The third document was written by then Cardinal Ratzinger to clarify the Vatican's position on Freemasonry and the penalties associated with membership.

The last document is a modern, more detailed description of the Vatican's arguments against Freemasonry.

These are all official Catholic documents obtained directly from the Vatican's Web Site.


Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII's Encyclical on Freemasonry 1884
Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo's followup Encyclical on Freemasonry in Italy 1890
Cardinal Ratzinger 1983
Declaration on Masonic Associations
Reflections 1985
The Irreconcilability between Christianity & Freemasonry

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