Rence,
You write:
I’ve never heard of, or seen documentation of, Catholics being forbidden to be Eastern Stars. Was that only in this diocese of Lincoln, NE in 1996? Where is an official Church document to the effect that all of these groups (aside from the obvious Masons) are forbidden for Catholics to join?
I am not a canon lawyer or expert in canon law and I know next to nothing about the Freemasons. However, from what I was able to find, the organizations Job’s Daughters, DeMolay, Eastern Star and Rainbow Girls are auxiliaries of, sponsored by, or otherwise affiliated with the Freemasons. They might therefore be described as “Masonic associations” within the meaning of the “Declaration on Masonic Associations” (Quaesitum est) of November 26, 1983 issued by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
The 1917 Code of Canon Law stated:
“Can. 2335. Nomen dantes sectae massonicae aliisve eiusdem generis associationibus quae contra Ecclesiam vel legitimas civiles potestates machinantur, contrahunt ipso facto excommunicationem Sedi Apostolicae simpliciter reservatam.”
I cite this in Latin since I cannot find an English translation. I would interpret it unofficially and informally as follows:
“Can. 2335. Those who subscribe their name to a Masonic sect or to other associations of the same kind, which plot against the Church or against legitimate civil authorities, incur ipso facto excommunication reserved to the Apostolic See.”
This was replaced in the 1983 Code of Canon Law with the following:
“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.”
By “interdict” is understood that the person affected is forbidden to receive Holy Communion.
The “Declaration on Masonic Associations” (Quaesitum est) of November 26, 1983 issued by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith clarified that Canon 1374 of the 1983 Code of Canon Law did in fact apply to membership in Masonic associations (note the the use of the plural “associations”). Had the Congregation intended to reference only the Freemasons themselves, it is almost certain that they would have used the singular “the Freemasons.” Formal pronouncements of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith such as this do constitute official Church teaching and are binding on all Catholics. The full text of the Declaration can be found at:
vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_19831126_declaration-masonic_en.html
The pronouncements of a bishop in his capacity as head of a diocese, i.e., as extra synodal legislation, apply only to members of his own diocese. Thus, Bishop Bruskewitz’ order of 1996 applies only to Catholics within the diocese of Lincoln, Nebraska. I cited it merely to indicate the interpretation of one bishop and to state that other bishops might be inclined to rule similarly concerning Masonic associations if the question were put to them directly. Bishop Bruskewitz’ order can be read at:
ewtn.com/library/BISHOPS/BRUSKWTZ.HTM
Bishop Bruskewitz’ pronouncement was reviewed by the Congregation for Bishops as noted in my earlier post since the organization “Call to Action” (not related to the Freemasons at all) appealed his ruling to that forum in the Vatican [letter of December 7, 2006 from Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Prefect of the Congregation of Bishops, to Bishop Bruskewitz]. It seems probable that if the bishop were manifestly in error as concerns the Masonic associations he named in his original decree, the Congregation would have so stated even though those organizations were not the specific subject of the appeal. The Congregation did not.
I would recommend that you consult a priest if you still have doubts about the status of any organizations that might be covered by the term “Masonic associations.”
Instead of honestly answering them we are receiving a bunch of “justifications” to the facts.