Bishop Schneider: Freemasonry is an “Instrument of Satan” Seeking to Destroy the Church

The new Code of Canon Law (1983) introduced total confusion into the Church in regard to Freemasonry. Under the old Code, in Canon 2335, Freemasonry was explicitly named. It said, in its opening,

Can 2335: Affiliation With Masonic or Similar Societies. Those who join a Masonic sect or other societies of the same sort, which plot against the Church or against legitimate civil authority, incur ipso facto an excommunication simply reserved to the Holy See.

Masons were excommunicated latae sententiae (automatically), could not marry in the Church, were not allowed to belong to associations of the Christian Faithful, were deprived of Catholic funeral rites, could not join a religious Order, and could not receive or inherit jus patronatus (the right to present a candidate to the Ordinary for a vacant benefice). There were additional penalties for Clerics, Religious and members of Secular Institutes.

In the aftermath of Vatican II, there was a general 'feeling' that Canon Law regarding Masonry had somehow been abrogated. It got so bad by 1981, two years before the new Code took effect, that the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, under His Eminence Franjo, Cardinal Šeper, issued a 'Declaration concerning the status of Catholics becoming Freemasons'. It stated,

1. "canonical discipline remains in full force and has not been modified in any way"
2. "neither the excommunication nor the other penalties envisaged have been abrogated"
3. 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 new Code seemed to throw all that into the dust bin. It contains a 'catch all' Canon, that reads, 

Can. 1374. A person who joins an association which plots against the Church is to be punished with a just penalty; one who promotes or takes office in such an association is to be punished with an interdict.

The new Code took effect on the First Sunday of Advent, 2 November, 1983. The immediate reaction, on the part of many liberals, was that the strictures against Freemasonry had been abrogated because the 'Synagogue of Satan', as His Holiness Pope Leo XIII described it, was not mentioned by name. 

In less than a month, a clarification was issued by the CDF, under its Prefect, His Eminence Joseph, Cardinal Ratzinger, later His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI. It made it very clear that the new Code had not abrogated the strictures of the Old against the Lodge,

It has been asked whether there has been any change in the Church’s decision in regard to Masonic associations since the new Code of Canon Law does not mention them expressly, unlike the previous Code. This Sacred Congregation is in a position to reply that this circumstance in due to an editorial criterion which was followed also in the case of other associations likewise unmentioned inasmuch as they are contained in wider categories. Therefore the Church’s negative judgment in regard to Masonic association remains unchanged since their principles have always been considered irreconcilable with the doctrine of the Church and therefore membership in them remains forbidden. The faithful who enrol in Masonic associations are in a state of grave sin and may not receive Holy Communion. It is not within the competence of local ecclesiastical authorities to give a judgment on the nature of Masonic associations which would imply a derogation from what has been decided above, and this in line with the Declaration of this Sacred Congregation issued on 17 February 1981 (cf. AAS 73 1981 pp. 240-241; English language edition of L’Osservatore Romano, 9 March 1981). In an audience granted to the undersigned Cardinal Prefect, the Supreme Pontiff John Paul II approved and ordered the publication of this Declaration which had been decided in an ordinary meeting of this Sacred Congregation. Rome, from the Office of the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, 26 November 1983. Joseph Card. RATZINGER Prefect + Fr. Jerome Hamer, O.P. Titular Archbishop of Lorium Secretary

Nothing could be clearer than that, but the evil forces of the Synagogue of Satan continue to try to worm their way into the Body of Christ, so His Lordship's warnings are very timely.

From One Peter Five

Bishop Athanasius Schneider, a collaborator with Cardinal Burke and an auxiliary bishop of Astana, Kazakhstan, has given a lecture on “Mary, conqueror of all heresies”, in which he warned that Freemasonry is an “instrument of Satan”. Bishop Schneider made this observation in the context of 2017 being the 300th anniversary of the foundation of Freemasonry with the establishment of the first Grand Lodge in London.

Bishop Schneider described the past 300 years of Freemasonry as turbulent and hidden, in pursuit of a revolutionary and subversive ambition. He described Freemasonry as a “tool of Satan” that has largely shied away from daylight since its foundation.

Bishop Schneider went on to recall St Maximilian Kolbe’s recollections of the Freemasons’ aggressive celebrations of their 200th anniversary in Rome during 1917, in the middle of the First World War. His Lordship related St Maximilian Kolbe’s description of Freemasonry openly declaring war on the Catholic Church. The Freemason littered Rome with posters showing the Archangel Michael defeated on the ground trampled beneath a triumphant Lucifer. In their protests against the Catholic Church, the Freemasons also displayed the black flag of the heretic Giordano Bruno, a Dominican friar who promoted materialistic pantheism, a central belief of Freemasonry. (Bruno also denied fundamental doctrines of the Faith).

As a consequence of witnessing the Freemasons’ hostility towards the Church in 1917, St Maximilian Kolbe decided to found the Militia Immaculatae [The Knights of the Immaculate] to counteract the actions of Lucifer.

In his lecture, Bishop Schneider went on to declare that the goal of Freemasonry is to eliminate the entire doctrine of God, especially Catholic doctrine. To achieve this goal the Freemasons have used many associations and societies. According to Bishop Schneider, Freemasonry seeks the dissolution of morality because they are convinced that unless they corrupt morality they cannot defeat the Catholic Church since they cannot defeat it with logical arguments.

Bishop Schneider concluded his reflections on Freemasonry by observing that masonic action on this principle of corrupting morality to defeat the Catholic Church was currently very topical again. In response to this, he reflected that undoubtedly the Blessed Virgin Mary, who was immaculately conceived, will in the end crush the greatest of all time: the heresy of the Antichrist.

Earlier in 2016 Bishop Schneider gave an interview to Daniel Blackman for One Peter Five during which he discussed the subversive influence of Freemasonry:

Bishop Schneider: Freemasonry is in itself intrinsically not compatible with Christian or Catholic faith, it is intrinsically not compatible, because the nature of freemasonry is anti-Christian. They deny Christ, and they deny the objective truths, they promote relativism, which is contrary to the truth, to the Gospel. So they promote the doctrinal errors of the Masonic philosophy. This is incompatible with Christian and Catholic faith.

Freemasonry has also an esoteric aspect, which is not Christian. They have rituals and ceremonies which are esoteric, which they openly admit, and such ceremonials are contrary to the faith. Their symbols and rituals demonstrate that they are against the divine truths in the Gospel – these things transmit show that Freemasonry is another religion. I repeat, freemasonry is another religion, it is an anti-Christ religion.

Even when they do good works, philanthropy and so forth, these dangerous things remain. Their philanthropy is not a justification that we can accept freemasonry, just because of their good philanthropic work. I will never recognise their doctrines and rituals which are against the Divine truths of the Gospel. The Church can never accept this. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith’s 1983 declaration on freemasonry is still valid. According to this Declaration it is a mortal sin to become a freemason – even pope Francis has not changed this law. This teaching is official and still valid.

Daniel Blackman: In 2013 on his return flight from Rio de Janeiro, Pope Francis made reference to a Masonic lobby. Recently, Cardinal Ravasi, in the Italian paper Il Sole 24 Ore, called for new dialogue and shared values with Freemasonry. Has Masonry won in the Church?

Bishop Schneider: Of course we know that Freemasonry is one of the most powerful influences at all levels of human society. This is manifest and clear. Theoretically, when one is a supporter, a leader in a very influential anti-Christian organisation, there is the tendency to infiltrate the organisation which is your enemy, it is very logical. So it is logical, over many centuries, that they would have tried and probably succeeded to infiltrate themselves into various levels of the Church – this is clear to me.

It is difficult to demonstrate concretely, to identify, who is a member. It is very difficult and dangerous, because someone may be accused of being a member, then it is proved the person is not a formally a member. It’s because of the secrecy and esotericism of Freemasonry that makes it very difficult.

One can assume that a cleric, a priest, bishop, or cardinal, has some connections with the masons by his speech. We hear clerics speaking like Freemasons, clearly, when they open their mouths, they use terms and concepts that are typically masonic. He could be a member, but you have to prove it, but at least when he speaks he has the spirit of the Freemason, maybe he is not a formal member, but some bishops and cardinals speak clearly with a Masonic spirit. I stress this does not mean they are formally members of the Freemasons.