‘Freemason-Vatican dialog begins’

    

Life Site News

“Meeting jaw to jaw is better than war.”

Winston Churchill

1954

Masonic and Vatican sources announced last week how a recent conference in Milan at the Ambrosianeum Cultural Foundation has led to a “mutual understanding” that may lead to future talks.

The February 16 meeting, organized by the Socio-Religious Research and Information Group, was attended by the grand masters of the Grand Orient of Italy, the Grand Lodge of Italy, and the Regular Grand Lodge of Italy; and by Vatican officials.

It was last November when the Vatican reaffirmed its centuries-long prohibition on Roman Catholics being Freemasons, prompted by queries from clergy in the Republic of the Philippines. That news made more headlines than this event, which was closed to journalists, and most of what’s available online so far is in Italian, but there are websites of varying tolerance to Freemasonry reporting it.

National Catholic Register offers what impresses me as a fair description.

Addressing the Milan meeting on the theme “The Catholic Church and Freemasonry,” Cardinal Francesco Coccopalmiero, 85, reportedly said he believed ‘an evolution in mutual understanding’ had taken place between Masonry and the Church over the past 50 years. ‘Things have moved on, and I hope these meetings don’t stop there,’ said the retired Italian prelate, according to Il Messaggero, quoting sources present at the meeting.

La Nuova Bussola Quotidiana which, fortunately, offers some of its content in English as the Daily Compass, gives the headline:

Freemasonry wants a ‘mea culpa,’

Catholic Church commits

examination of conscience

The story, by Editor in Chief Riccardo Cascioli, says our Masonic brethren “all defended the compatibility of Freemasonry with the Catholic faith: Bisi recounted how his growth in the Catholic sphere led him to join the Grand Orient; Romoli ranged from Sant’Anselmo to Cardinal Zuppi; Venzi stressed how English rituals have been Christian since their origins.”

About the other side of the table, Cascioli reports:

“In the face of these clear and well-considered presentations, the Catholic counterpart was disconcerting. In the collaborative atmosphere of the meeting, the intervention of poor Father Sucheki, who had prepared a learned report on the Church’s pronouncements against Freemasonry, appeared only as a due act, moreover also somewhat snubbed by Bishop Staglianò, who appeared intolerant of the reminders of doctrine. Archbishop Delpini, who, after imposing the date, time, and conditions of the meeting, showed up 45 minutes late. And Cardinal Coccopalmerio pretended to know nothing about Freemasonry, but in different words they said the same things, two in particular: satisfaction for this ‘meeting between people’ and not between opposing acronyms, and the need to continue and intensify these meetings, perhaps with a ‘permanent table,’ as Coccopalmerio pointed out.”

Part of the Masonic presentation entailed asking why Pope Francis’ famous “Who am I to judge?” statement in 2013, a conciliation to gay people and divorcees, could not have extended to Freemasons.

Bishop Antonio Staglianò is quoted in the Daily Compass(!) saying: “we need a healthy sapiential theology—a theology capable of thinking critically about everything, of responding also to the critical instances of universal reason, because we live in a world where if you do not dialogue you risk being absolutely out of the world. Sapiential means that it knows how to unite science and wisdom of life.”

“Isn’t that clear?,” Cascioli writes in conclusion. “It doesn’t matter, what one must understand is that in the end on the ‘wisdom of life,’ one can also collaborate with Freemasons, in good works and for the common good. Mercy rains down on everyone anyway.”

     

‘Vatican reaffirms its ban on Freemasonry’

    

Vatican News

In a document published Monday, the Vatican reaffirms its ban on Freemasonry for Roman Catholics.

The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, responding to concerns of bishops in the Republic of the Philippines, issued its recommendations as approved by Pope Francis. Nearly 80 percent of Filipinos are Roman Catholic. (I was going to write about the Philippines situation a week ago, but mistakenly figured it wasn’t a big deal.) Excerpted:

Membership in Freemasonry is very significant in the Philippines; it involves not only those who are formally enrolled in Masonic Lodges but, more generally, a large number of sympathizers and associates who are personally convinced that there is no opposition between membership in the Catholic Church and in Masonic Lodges.

Cardinal Víctor Fernández
Prefect of the Dicastery

To address this issue appropriately, it was decided that the Dicastery would respond by involving the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines itself, notifying the Conference that it would be necessary to put in place a coordinated strategy among the individual Bishops that envisions two approaches:

(a) On the doctrinal level, it should be remembered that active membership in Freemasonry by a member of the faithful is forbidden because of the irreconcilability between Catholic doctrine and Freemasonry (cf. Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, “Declaration on Masonic Associations” [1983], and the guidelines published by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines in 2003). Therefore, those who are formally and knowingly enrolled in Masonic Lodges and have embraced Masonic principles fall under the provisions in the above-mentioned Declaration. These measures also apply to any clerics enrolled in Freemasonry.

(b) On the pastoral level, the Dicastery proposes that the Philippine Bishops conduct catechesis accessible to the people and in all parishes regarding the reasons for the irreconcilability between the Catholic Faith and Freemasonry.

Finally, the Philippine Bishops are invited to consider whether they should make a public pronouncement on the matter.

     

ALR looks at Templars

RW Thomas Savini, director of the Grand Lodge of New York’s Chancellor Robert R. Livingston Masonic Library, displays the painstakingly replicated facsimile of the famous Chinon Parchment to interested brethren of American Lodge of Research Wednesday evening.

What better setting than the French Ionic Room could there be to display the documents of the Avignon Pope’s trial of the French monastic order we call the Knights Templar?

There we were at the Regular Communication of American Lodge of Research Wednesday night in the Grand Lodge of New York building to view these spectacular reproductions of historic documents. I have heard of the quality of Vatican publications, but I was unprepared for the lavish packaging and the exacting detail created by the publisher in the production of “Processus Contra Templarios.”

It isn’t only a book. In addition to the oversize multi-lingual tome there are multiple facsimile copies, published on a realistic synthetic fabric that retains the look and feel of medieval parchment, of many ancillary documents – including one text that happens to record Pope Clement’s absolution of the Templar Order of the most serious charges against them. This item, dubbed the “Chinon Parchment,” was discovered in the Vatican Secret Archives in 2001 by a researching scholar, who found it and recognized its significance. It simply had been misfiled all these centuries, obscuring a giant historical fact.



The reproduction of the Chinon Parchment.

This stunning package of historical documents was purchased by the Grand Lodge of New York’s Chancellor Robert R. Livingston Masonic Library, disbursing $8,600 from a fund bequeathed to the library for the purpose of acquiring singular research materials that otherwise would elude the brethren. But what has the fate of a crusading order of knights to do with Freemasonry, and why would one of the most important Masonic research libraries in the world acquire these archival reproductions?

RW Bro. Thomas Savini, director of the library, explained, saying part of the library’s mission is to “provide resources for the experiential side of Masonry – the intangibles that drove us all to become Freemasons – for our discussion, and study, and growth.” (The only other known Masonic organization in the United States to have acquired a copy is the House of the Temple, headquarters of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite in Washington. The November-December issue of “Scottish Rite Journal” features a cover story on Ill. Hoyt Samples and his wife Mitzi who lavished that donated copy of “Processus.”)

Savini and RW Bill Thomas, who was acting Master of the lodge for the evening, continued the talk with a history of the medieval Knights Templar, from its founding to its dissolution, a story popular enough among Masons that it need not be related here, except for one interesting point Savini noted about the relationship between the French king and the Catholic pope. Explaining how Philip IV exerted control, “flexing his muscles,” Savini placed this political situation into the context of the Age of Reason. We see “a secular authority can hold more power than the pope,” he added, and in fact the king ordered the Church Inquisition to arrest the Templars. To make a long legal story short, the Order had been charged with the capital crime of heresy, plus a variety of lesser crimes, like sacrilege and sodomy, and were absolved by the pope of the former, but convicted of the latter.

I guess by today’s standards, the knights would be fit to serve in Congress.

RW Bill Thomas, a Trustee of the Livingston Library, noted the similarity of the Templar organization structure to Freemasonry, and how that affected the Inquisition’s prosecution, explaining how junior members of the Order were arrested, but were unable to answer the Inquisition’s most serious questions due to their lack of seniority.

But about these wonderful documents and their value to historian and hobbyist alike.

They provide “a real tactile experience,” Savini said, explaining how the synthetic material employed in the construction of the “parchments” and the deliberately placed folds, and even the replica mold stains all combine to recreate the originals. Having these facsimiles grants great freedom to scholars. “Here’s something you’d never see me do, and that would give me a heart attack if I saw anyone else doing,” he said, holding aloft one parchment measuring more than six feet in length, demonstrating how these can be handled, studied, and admired, while sparing the originals the wear and tear.

And the reproduction process involved much more than photographic copying. Because of the advanced age of the documents and the manner they were folded and stored, it was necessary for restorers to employ a Wood’s lamp to project ultraviolet light onto the original parchments to reveal handwritten content otherwise misunderstood or unintelligible.

In addition to the massive book itself, and the Chinon Parchment, and that six-footer, the package includes smaller parchments containing interrogation notes, summary documents, and executive findings, some of which show Pope Clement’s handwritten notes and signature.


Other attractions appeal to a broader scope of researchers. The original documents’ authenticity and authority were attested by the wax seals of the three Papal commissioners who examined the Templars. And sure enough, viewers of the replica collection are indeed greeted by three intricately molded replica wax seals, which brought students of that art to view the collection during its seven-stop tour of the state this month in the care of Thomas and Savini. The calligraphy also lured mavens of that craft.

“This is fascinating,” said ALR Secretary Harvey Eysman, at right. “I have a facsimile of Anderson’s Constitutions. It’s one thing to see the imperfections on those pages, but those are just copies. This is history!”

This copy of “Processus” is on hand at the Livingston Masonic Library. Library hours are:

Mondays, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Tuesdays, from noon to 8 p.m.
Wednesdays through Fridays, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The library, located on the 14th floor of the Grand Lodge building, is open to the public.

The showing of “Processus” was not the only highlight of the lodge’s meeting. ALR also elected its officers for the ensuing year. Bill Thomas, at left, is the Master-elect, and after about a decade of service at the Treasurer’s desk, RW Ron Goldwyn was honored with unanimous election as Treasurer Emeritus. Plus a bunch of others were elected to Corresponding Membership. Congratulations brethren! The Installation of Officers will take place Monday, December 29. The 2009 meetings of American Lodge of Research are scheduled for Monday, March 30 and Thursday, October 29.

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Whenever reporting from the Grand Lodge of New York, it is necessary to try to relay the marvelous architecture and design. In addition to viewing these photos, do take the virtual tour of the French Ionic Room.

American Lodge of Research in October

The French Ionic Room at the Grand Lodge of New York is the place to be on the evening of October 29, where American Lodge of Research will hold meet for its election of officers.

The Senior Warden needs no introduction, but I have to write something! RW Bill Thomas is one of the friendly faces encountered wherever something educational is afoot in New York Masonry. Magpie readers know all about "Our Dinner with Trevor" (see below) and he is involved in the upcoming second annual dinner-lecture of the Livingston Library.

In addition to the election, this meeting will feature the display of the rare Vatican Secret Archive publication titled "Processus Contra Templarios." This limited edition (799 copies published at $8,000 each) contains hyperquality reproductions of medieval manuscripts recording the Vatican's trial of the Knights Templar, including the Chinon Parchment, unearthed seven years ago by a researching scholar. This documents Pope Clement V's absolution of the Order on the heresy charges brought against it.

I have it on good authority that there are notable typos in the book but, to be fair, they didn't let me edit it.

While there is zero evidence connecting the medieval Knights Templar to Freemasonry, the popular legend of Masonry descending from the monastic military order persists and even seems to gain momentum with every goofy exploitative book and television program that appears, recycling the same opinions and myths.

Nevertheless, I am glad there is room in Freemasonry for lavish oddities like this. The other Masonic research library that owns a copy is the House of the Temple in Washington. Otherwise, aside from private collections, there are only three universities (Cornell, Stanford and Lambuth in Tennessee) where this historical treasure can be found in the United States.

Have a look at Bro. Brian Kannard's blog, "Grail Seekers," to view the display of Lambuth's copy.