Vatican cleric claims Catholics can be Freemasons

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A new book by Father Michael Heinrich Weninger, an official of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue is claiming that a practicing Catholic can simultaneously be a Freemason and that the penalty of excommunication may “certainly not” be applied to “Catholic Freemasons.”

Father Michael Weninger launched his 500-page study Loge und Altar: Über die Aussöhnung von Katholischer Kirche und regulärer Freimaurerei (Lodge and Altar: On the Reconciliation of the Catholic Church and Regular Freemasonry) on Wednesday 12 February 2020 in Vienna, accompanied by Austrian Lodge Grand Master Georg Semler on the dais.

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Semler identifies as a “committed Catholic,” while Weninger, ordained by Cdl. Christoph Schönborn in 2011, was outed as a Freemason when celebrating Mass at the consecration of the new lodge of Mark Master Masons No. 1954 in 2014 as illustrated below:

Humanum Genus of Pope Leo XIII gave a clear condemnation of Freemasonry and in 2017 Pope Francis ordered Cardinal Burke to purge the Knights of Malta of Freemasons in their ranks. It will be interesting to see what happens regarding this matter.


“A Commemoration Mass celebrating the 5th Anniversary of the Consecration of New Quarries MMMs Lodge and the Consecration of St Margaret’s MMMs Lodge was held in the Castle Church. Bro. Rev. Michael Weninger officiated at the Mass which was attended by most masons present of all faiths as well as local villagers, this being their local church. Bro Rev Michael was installed and Invested as Chaplin in each of the three lodges Installation ceremonies during the day being well qualified since he lives in the Vatican as a member of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue but works in Rome.”
 
Professional dialoguers tend to do and say kooky things.

Anyway, here’s the truth:
DECLARATION ON MASONIC ASSOCIATIONS

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 enroll 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.
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http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/c...aith_doc_19831126_declaration-masonic_en.html
 
Genesis315 said:
Professional dialoguers tend to do and say kooky things.
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Men like this do not do or say “kooky things”


Translation of part of entry
After several study visits to various European and non-European countries, he worked from 1977 to 1979 as a study assistant at the Institute for Dogmatics at the University of Innsbruck and at the Episcopal Ordinariate of Innsbruck. He then attended the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna from 1980 to 1982 and completed courses at the Ecole nationale d’administration Paris and the Escuela Diplomática de Madrid . He joined the Austrian diplomatic service in 1982. He was Attaché for the Foreign Service of the Republic of Austria at the Austrian Embassy in Moscow (1983–84), First Embassy Secretary at the Austrian Embassy in Madrid (1984–86), Embassy Councilor at the Austrian Embassy in Warsaw (1986–91) and at Austrian Embassy in Moscow (1991).

From 1991 to 1992 he was head of the newly established Austrian Consulate General (Consul General) and head of the newly established Austrian Embassy in Ukraine in Kiev (Permanent Representative), from 1993 to 1997 head of the Austrian Embassy in Belgrade as Permanent Representative and after the international law recognition of the Serbia and Montenegro as extraordinary and plenipotentiary ambassadors. [1]

From 1997 to 2001 Michael Weninger was Deputy Head of the Department for EU Enlargement and External Economic Relations with Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe and Head of the Subdivision for Reconstruction and Reconstruction in Southeastern Europe at the Federal Ministry for Foreign Affairs. From 2001 to 2007 he was the first Austrian to serve as political advisor to the Presidents of the European Commission (Romano Prodi / Group of Policy Advisors [GOPA] and Jose Manuel Barroso / Bureau of European Policy Advisors [BEPA]). He was responsible for the dialogue with the religions, churches and worldviews as well as foreign policy for the states of south-east Europe; his successor was Jorge Cesar das Neves. [1]
Continued in subsequent posts
 
During his service in the Federal Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Vienna, he was appointed to the Department of International Law, several times to the Department for Political Relations with Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe, to the then CSCE Department and to the Department for Asia etc. From 2004 to 2006, he was also a member of the Ethical Working Group of the European Space Agency (ESA). From 2007 to 2008 he worked again in the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs (Department for Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Oceania; ASEM and regional associations such as ASEAN, SAARC and ARF). 2008: Special envoy of the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs in Ndjamena / Chad. In 2008/09 he was head of the Austrian embassy in Sarajevo.[2]

In addition to German, he speaks several foreign languages, including English, French, Spanish, Russian, Serbian and Croatian.

Michael Weninger was married to Sanja Magdalena (1971–2009) and on June 24, 2011, now widowed, received the ordination of priests by Christoph Cardinal Schönborn in St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna . He was incardinated in the Archdiocese of Vienna . On June 26, 2011 he celebrated his primacy in the parish church of St. Anna in Vienna and in October 2011 he made primaries in the St. Trinitatis church in Leipzig and in the church of the St. George’s College in Istanbul. [3] [4] He chose the motto The Lord is my light and my salvation. ( Ps 27.1 EU ) He is the first ambassador in the history of Austria to be ordained a priest. [2]

From 2011 to 2012 he was chaplain in the Kalvarienbergkirche in Hernals in Vienna and as a staff member for the Austrian Bishops’ Conference . a. acted as representative for contacts to world religions. [2]

Pope Benedict XVI appointed Michael Weninger to the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue on November 1, 2012 . There he works for the dialogue with Islam in Europe, Central Asia and in Central and South America
 
IanM said:
Humanum Genus of Pope Leo XIII gave a clear condemnation of Freemasonry and in 2017 Pope Francis ordered Cardinal Burke to purge the Knights of Malta of Freemasons in their ranks
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Anything anyone says, including a priest that is contrary to the above, yes, is doing and saying kooky things.

Freemasonry is not allowed for Catholics.

OP, why are you supporting what this priest says?
 
IanM said:
Men like this do not do or say “kooky things”
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Well he just produced a 500 page book with a kooky conclusion. A quick google got me the correct one-page answer. It looks like he over-thunk it. The wisdom of the world which makes a good political diplomat is not necessarily the same wisdom “revealed to little ones” that is founded on the Gospel. I’m sure his vocation was inspired by something better. Sadly, the Austrian episcopate is in bad shape so he probably didn’t have much help staying within the bounds of Tradition and ecclesiastical discipline–in fact, it looks like he was helped the other way. Seems like a waste of talent.

In any event, it seems too often inter-religious dialogue (including with masons) is more like religious diplomacy than the great commission…compromise can be great in politics and political diplomacy, but the Gospel calls us to something higher. A “being together” that compromises the truth is a contradiction to God who is truth (cf. St. John Paul II, Ut Unum Sint 18).
 
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He may claim so … but being human he is wrong.

I prefer to side with the Church, who is right.
 
Irishmom2 said:
OP, why are you supporting what this priest says?
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I am afraid that you have completely misunderstood my position regarding Freemasonry in the Church and what this priest is advocating. I believe Masonry to be directly opposed to the Church and her teachings and any influence that it may have within the Church should be exposed. A discussion regarding the influence it may have is more than necessary and that was the reason for my posting this item. Clearly, when a senior member of the Curia having been exposed as a Freemason, retains his position and then feels it in order to publish such a book the time for silent acquiescence is long gone in my opinion.
 
Irishmom2 said:
OP, why are you supporting what this priest says?
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I don’t think he is. He is saying that there are important and credible Catholic thinkers who are trying to accommodate freemasonry in defiance of church teaching. Right, OP?

It’s very odd. My own request for some information on freemasonry on another thread (because I want to convince some masons who believe freemasonry is compatible with christianity of the error of their ways) was also met with a barrage of quotations from anti masonic encyclicals as if I was trying to defend freemasonry.
 
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I did not say heretical. Don’t try to put words in my mouth please.
 
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Neve the less, his book and his position with regards to freemasrony, especially European masrony, can be labeled as kooky.

You are correct that when a priest if his stature advocated something so wrong, it needs to be taken seriously and firmly addressed.
 
I wasn’t trying to. I was looking to see if there was any substance to the ambiguous euphemism.
 
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