The ''Declaration Concerning Status of Catholics Becoming Freemasons'' is a February 1981 declaration by the

Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) is a department of the Roman Curia in charge of the religious discipline of the Catholic Church. The Dicastery is the oldest among the departments of the Roman Curia. Its seat is the Palace of t ...

(CDF) under Cardinal Franjo Šeper which restated the Catholic Church's prohibition against

Catholics The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

becoming

Freemasons Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

. It contains three points of "confirmation and clarification" about "erroneous and tendentious interpretations" of a leaked 1974 private clarification, on interpretation of

1917 Code of Canon Law The 1917 ''Code of Canon Law'' (abbreviated 1917 CIC, from its Latin title ), also referred to as the Pio-Benedictine Code,Dr. Edward Peters accessed June-9-2013 is the first official comprehensive codification (law), codification of Canon law ...

canon 2335, from the to

episcopal conference An episcopal conference, often also called a bishops’ conference or conference of bishops, is an official assembly of the bishops of the Catholic Church in a given territory. Episcopal conferences have long existed as informal entities. The fir ...

s: #"canonical discipline remains in full force and has not been modified in any way" #"neither the excommunication nor the other penalties envisaged have been abrogated" #the intention of the 1974 letter was to remind about "the general principles of interpretation of penal laws for the solution of the cases of individual persons which may be submitted to the judgment of ordinaries" and not "to permit Episcopal Conferences to issue public pronouncements by way of a judgment of a general character on the nature of Masonic associations, which would imply a derogation from the aforesaid norms". The confusion arose from a leaked 1974 private clarification written to some episcopal conferences, which was interpreted by some within the Church and within Freemasonry as permitting Catholics to join Masonic lodges so long as the lodge did not directly plot against the church. The letter had become public and had "given rise to erroneous and tendentious interpretations." The 1974 private clarification stated that: #"the Holy See has repeatedly sought information from the bishops about contemporary Masonic activities directed against the Church" #"there will be no new law on this matter," in the period before the

1983 Code of Canon Law The 1983 ''Code of Canon Law'' (abbreviated 1983 CIC from its Latin title ''Codex Iuris Canonici''), also called the Johanno-Pauline Code, is the "fundamental body of Ecclesiastical Law, ecclesiastical laws for the Latin Church". It is the sec ...

is promulgated #"all penal canons must be interpreted strictly" #to reiterate, Catholic clergy, and members of

religious institute In the Catholic Church, a religious institute is "a society in which members, according to proper law, pronounce public religious vows, vows, either perpetual or temporary which are to be renewed, however, when the period of time has elapsed, a ...

s or

secular institute In the Catholic Church, a secular institute is one of the forms of consecrated life recognized in Canon law of the Catholic Church, Church law (1983 Code of Canon Law Canons 710–730). Secular consecrated persons profess the Evangelical couns ...

s are expressly prohibited from Masonic membership The 1981 declaration preceded the 1983 '' Declaration on Masonic Associations'' issued by the under Joseph Ratzinger as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Notes

References

* * * ** * Note that this English translation does not include which is included in the Latin typical edition: . * * * Anti-Masonry Catholicism and Freemasonry Documents of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith Pope Benedict XVI 1981 documents 1981 in Christianity {{freemasonry-stub