On questions of doctrine. The 6th Landmark and the Catholics.

It has been raised in a systematic way the argument that the conditions of Catholic and Freemason are incompatible. This is a recurrent topic in antimasonic propaganda, for now a long time, but the issue has become more frequent in religious literature and sites associated to the Catholic Church since the Pope Benedict XVI is in the Chair of St Peter. One of the most enthusiastic of this debate is "Espectadores", a Portuguese site owned by Bernando Motta and Duarte Fragoso. The arguments are sophisticated and well documented and deserve a special attention for those that, inside the Craft, follow these topics. There is a continuous position (within) not comment directly these allegations, in order to neutralize them, which sometimes has the opposite effect. Freemasonry, as an institution, doesn't interfere in matters of faith and religion and is plural to count on its ranks religious men and not religious men. Freemasonry, namely Regular Freemasonry, doesn't oblige people with no religious allegiance to become a believer of a religion; it is a matter of individual freedom, of freewill to follow or not follow a religion, whatever is it. Freemasonry is not against any religion in particular (or in general) and its history notice the role that priests and clerics have fulfill by their moral statute, both as Men of God and Freemasons. Our tenure is basically the one enrolled in the first paragraph of the Anderson's Constitutions:
A Mason is oblig'd by his Tenure, to obey the moral Law; and if he rightly understands the Art, he will never be a stupid Atheist nor an irreligious Libertine. But though in ancient Times Masons were charg'd in every Country to be of the Religion of that Country or Nation, whatever it was, yet 'tis now thought more expedient only to oblige them to that Religion in which all Men agree, leaving their particular Opinions to themselves; that is, to be good Men and true, or Men of Honour and Honesty, by whatever Denominations or Persuasions they may be distinguish'd; whereby Masonry becomes the Center of Union, and the Means of conciliating true Friendship among Persons that must have remain'd at a perpetual Distance.

Insofar we gather ourselves around the belief of the religion that all men agree, to be a good man, to be kind and friend to others namely those in need. This a basic tenure that is common to every religion and man of good.
If some prefer to follow a more devoted orientation concerning their faith it is their right. Commentators argue that the present Pope, as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith, has settle a ruling that determines that the Church has a negative assessment about Masonic associations because they have been considered irreconcilable with the doctrine of the Church and the followers that are members of masonic organization commit a serious sin. Sin is something that has been multiplicated around the world and the Church as such has not been quite exempt of this problem as the Pope has stated in its recent visit to England.
We may also question the precedence of this ruling as its Holiness has not pass it into Canon law. This is probably the opinion of a certain department of the Church, in this case the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith. This shows that this severe judgment had a special environment that has loosen somehow its accuracy.
If we may trace a comparison, is not because some interpreters of the Koran presume some acts (or persons) are against the teachings of the Koran that they turn automatically into pariahs of the religion and unbelievers and so targets to jihad. The Scriptures have enough elasticity to allow different interpretations and if we take notice the history of the Church, in these 2000 years, different (and sometime contradictory) teachings of Christ were preached as the truth along the centuries and the doctrine was updated to the demands of times and the the costumes of the believers. Nobody is burned no more in the bonfire because he (or she) is not a Christian, although this was the official punishment of the Church, in the Catholic World, till the end of the eighteen century. Nobody is more excommunicated by saying that the Sun and not the Earth is the center of the the Universe although Galileo was persecuted and judged by defending it against what was the official doctrine of the Church stated as civil law. So times change and the way Men face spiritual matters also do.
Freemasonry has no dogma and is free-minded by orientation and tradition. Within the Craft anybody can say what he wants and is not persecuted by doing so. So welcome the Man of God because they are children of Christ and welcome also the children of Allah, Buddha and other divinities. The world is large and we can be there all at the same time.

Two French high rank clerics accused of treason by Fraternité Sacerdotal Saint-Pie X

Pour avoir récemment participé, avec des responsables juifs et musulmans, à des conférences organisées par la franc-maçonnerie à Lyon et à Paris, le cardinal Philippe Barbarin, archevêque de Lyon (in the picture), et Mgr Jean-Charles Descubes, archevêque de Rouen, sont dans le collimateur des disciples de Mgr Lefebvre. C’est pour les traditionalistes de la Fraternité Sacerdotale Saint-Pie X "un scandale d’une extrême gravité". "La prise de parole de ces deux archevêques français à de telles réunions et à de telles conférences organisées par la franc-maçonnerie constitue un scandale d’une extrême gravité, qui donne une illustration supplémentaire de la trahison de la foi par un évêque et par un cardinal, tous les deux en poste", écrit dans un communiqué l’abbé Régis de Cacqueray, supérieur du District de France des traditionalistes de la Fraternité Sacerdotale Saint-Pie X. The rest here.
The translation:
To have recently participated with Jewish and Muslim leaders, at conferences organized by the Freemasons in Lyon and Paris, Cardinal Philippe Barbarin, Archbishop of Lyons, Bishop Jean-Charles Descubes, archbishop of Rouen, are trageted by the followers of Archbishop Lefebvre. For the traditionalist Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X is "a scandal of extreme gravity". "The participation of these two French archbishops in such meetings and conferences organized by Freemasonry is a scandal of extreme gravity, which gives a further example of the betrayal of faith by a bishop and a cardinal, both in office" wrote in a statement Father Régis Cacqueray, District Superior of France traditionalist Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X.

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The comment:
It is always frightful to assist to such a deadly exhibition of trying to outlaw someone who is tolerant, pluralist and interiorize the sense of communio, of ecumenism that John Paul II has so dearly preached as major teaching of its postulate, as head of the Church. For what we may guess from this report of the French press, this is a clear invitation to persecution that raises to everybody the era of Inquisition and people send to the bonfire and burn till death, by the sins the Church imagine they have. One may ask if the Church of Rome agrees with this statement of one of its clerics against two officers of the Church that preach the teachings of Christ, basicaly. Probably nobody will have an answer soon. If the indictment outspoken by Mr. Régis Cacqueray is for real these two members of the French Church will be targeted of disciplinary process for the competent branch of the Holy See. It will be interesting to assess if the words of tolerance exposed, recently, by Benedetto XVI in its visit to Portugal are accomplished by its officials.

The Pope in Portugal

His Holyness the Pope Benedict XVI visits Portugal in a prochain week and it is important to express the pride and happyness Portuguese people has on its Holyness visit to our country. Portugal has a majority of Catholic followers and important sites of our history are related to the Christian faith. Portugal as a country would never become an independent State without the support of the Church of Rome in the 12th Century. The Sanctuary of Fatima has an importance that cannot be erased or diminuished. Freemasonry regards the contribution of the Catholic Church to the ethics and social values in modern society as fundamental. Being a victim of past campaigns of intolerant chiefs of the Church - that for instance took the life of the Grand Master of the Knights Templars - Freemasonry doesn't mix the institution of the Church with its leaders that in farway past persecuted the Craft . Every old institution has its pains and imperfecteness and it would be fair to say that the Catholic Church passes by a great test to deal with problems that the transparence of modern society put to us all. Sometimes, contradictory insights are raised about the oppinions the Church has about Freemasonry and the compatibility of being a freemason and obeying to the Church teachings. Freemasons usually like to say in this purpose, that the crucial elements of moral are the same and even the sacred book of Christianism - the Bible- lays in a distictive place within a Masonic Lodge. Freemasons are not deacons, cardinals or bishops as they are not entitled to give sacraments or absolve sins. This is not the mission of freemasonry. Each institution has its role in society and directs its action to a certain part of the public. Sometimes the believer and the freemason are reunited in the same human being. It is good for the Craft and the Church when this happen, we ought to believe.

The atheist and the Catholic Church

Mr Saramago, a Portuguese writer, honoured sometime ago with a Nobel prize has wrote a new book where he criticise God and its "harshness" and "evilness" saying that the God of the Bible is a bad figure with no mercy. The Catholic Church has through the Episcopal Portuguese Conference come to the battleground, criticizing, in very harsh terms, Mr. Saramago book and statements, considering it an offense to the divinity and to Catholicism.
Mr Saramago is entitle to freedom of speech and as an atheist to criticize God in what terms he likes. Mr. Saramago was a former Stalinist and is a member of the Communist Party and anyone who takes sometime to return to the pope, Karl Marx, can find tracks of the same absolutely prejudice on religion and God. Marx was a Prussian, from a Jewish family that was obliged to repudiate Judaism and convert to protestantism to survive in the Prussian society. Others figures of the communist pantheon had a well-known conflictual relationship with religion, as Mr. Lenin or Mr. Stalin.
What Mr. Saramago says (and writes) is nothing new. He has - we can guess- something to solve before coming into terms with the Creator, but that is his problem, not ours. What worries most in this episode is the the strong terms that the Catholic Church choose to react. It seems that we are returning to the Inquisition time and somewhere in the roadway an inquisitor process is put in action and a desire of bonfire and summarily judgment is awaken.
Nobody gave the Catholic Church the power to speak in God's name; we believe He didn't, and there is no Angel coming down to Earth to explain the deliberation of the Divinity.
So with the Wisdom, God hand to those who saw the light we are tempted to say: let the poor man say and write what he wants, because he is entitle to this by free of speech and thought. If you are outraged by the terms of the book don't read it, though it away, but don't come to say what one can write or not. We don't need a return to the dark times of the Church when it decide what was truth and what was not. That is why we have the separation of Church and State, of the religious and the profane worlds; and we are very happy we that. Thanks God.