Abbey-Roads2

Pictured: Cardinal Annibale Bugnini, one of the architects of the Novus Ordo, who is believed to have been a Mason, although the greatest evidence only seems to be documentary evidence proving a relationship to Freemasonry. 

Bugnini denied the charge that he was a Freemason, both during the summer of 1975 and in the years that followed. He maintained it was a false and calumnious charge until his dying day.“The charge was absurd,” he wrote. “A malignant calumny.”

Having stated that, the Vatican has once again reaffirmed it’s condemnation of Freemasonry.  Today from Zenit News:

“Regent Restates Vatican’s Anti-Masonry Position -  Says Its Philosophies Are Incompatible With Church

ROME, MARCH 2, 2007 (Zenit.org).- The Church has not changed its ruling on Catholic membership in the Masons, said the regent of the Apostolic Penitentiary.

Bishop Gianfranco Girotti made this statement Thursday at a conference on the topic of Freemasonry held at the St. Bonaventure Pontifical Theological Faculty.

The bishop presided over the congress held in cooperation with the Socio-Religious Research and Information Group of Italy. Officials of Masonic associations and grand masters also took part in the meeting.

Bishop Girotti reminded his listeners that the Church has always criticized the concepts and philosophy of Freemasonry, considering them incompatible with the Catholic faith.” - Zenit.org

Interestingly enough, the Bishop referenced priests who have recently openly declared their their membership in Freemasonry, indicating some form of canonical discipline may be in store for them.

I also came across an article going back to 2005 from Catholic News Agency, wherein a local Lodge enlisted a Catholic priest as its chaplain, something heretofore unheard of.

 “Rome, Aug 8, 2005 / 12:00 am (CNA).- In an unusual show of “openness” to the Catholic Church, a Masonic lodge in Italy has announced the appointment of a Catholic priest as chaplain. 

The news was announced during an address to members of the lodge by Grand Master Fabio Venzi of the Grand Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of Italy.

During his address announcing the appointment of the priest, whom he did not identify by name, Venzi explained what he considers to be the relationship between freemasonry and the Catholic Church.  “If we examine the documents at our disposal and if we look at the contrasts of the presumed incompatibility of the Catholic Church with freemasonry, we might get the impression that we find ourselves in the presence of a comedy of errors,” he said.

“The documents of the Holy See,” he continued, “are often based on Masonic realities which we consider ‘irregular,’ and therefore not representative of true Masonic tradition.” 

“The rituals that have been studied and are considered typical of Masonic thought are not known exactly, but this does not appear to be a question of little importance, since we know that rituals can vary from lodge to lodge.” CNA

“Masonry’s attempts to express divine truths are based on relativism and do not agree with the principles of the Christian faith,” - Bishop Girotti

In the U.S. we mainly think of Masons as portly old men who like to dress up, wearing fezzes and red jackets, with gaudy rings, driving cadillacs and smoking cigars.  These guys hardly seem like sinister conspirators to me, although I’m told the power is  concentrated in the more clandestine upper ranks of membership.