Rowan Williams apologises to Freemasons

Telegraph (UK) ^ | 20/04/2003 | Chris Hastings and Elizabeth Day

[nickcarraway]

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has been forced to apologise to Britain's 330,000 Freemasons after he said that their beliefs were incompatible with Christianity and that he had rejected them from senior posts in his diocese.

Dr Williams has written to Robert Morrow, the Grand Secretary of the United Grand Lodge of England, in an attempt to defuse the row prompted by comments he made last year. In his letter, the Archbishop apologises for the "distress" he caused and discloses that his own father was a member of the Craft.

Freemasons, many of whom are active members of the Church of England, reacted angrily to his disclosure that he "had real misgivings about the compatibility of Masonry and Christian profession" and by his admission that, as Bishop of Monmouth, he had blocked the appointment of Freemasons to senior appointments.

His comments about Freemasons were in a private letter leaked to the media shortly after Downing Street confirmed his appointment as head of the Church of England.

Subsequent attempts by his advisers to defuse the row only caused further offence. A spokesman said the Archbishop was worried about the ritual element of Freemasonry, which has been seen as "satanically inspired".

In his letter of apology, Dr Williams tries to distance himself from his own reported comments. He claims that his views were never meant to be public and were distorted by the media.

He wrote: "I have been sorry to learn of the distress of a considerable number of Freemasons . . . In replying to private correspondence, I had no intention of starting a public debate nor of questioning the good faith and generosity of individual Freemasons and I regret the tone and content of the media coverage."

He added: "The quoted statements about the 'satanic' character of the Masonic ceremonies and other matters did not come from me and do not represent my judgment. Since my late father was a member of the Craft for many years, I have had every opportunity of observing the probity of individual members."

Dr Williams does not, in his letter, deny that he has misgivings about the role of Freemasons within the Church.

He wrote: "Where anxieties exist, however, they are in relation not to Freemasonry but to Christian ministers subscribing to what could be and often is understood [or misunderstood] as a private system of profession and initiation, involving the taking of oaths of loyalty."

He ends his letter by stating that Freemasons' commitment to charity and the community is beyond question.

[Polycarp]

And would you please address the issue of child molesting priests.

Your Masons in Mexico killed more of our priests than all our modern child molesting priests combined.

Quit changing the subject.

[Pharmboy]

When Benjamin B French arrived in Washington DC in 1833 the anti-Masonic “excitement”, especially in the Northeast, was gaining momentum and Masonic activities in general were in decline through out the area. The anti-Masonic movement began with the activities of a few misguided brethren in the upstate town of Batavia, NY in 1826. There, although specifics are not clear, a former Brother by the name of Morgan disappeared.

Masons were accused of his murder for the purpose of suppressing the publication of so called secrets of the fraternity. The Brethren may or may not have been guilty of the murder. But the miscarriage of justice was clear.

The jury was packed with masons and the judge, prosecutor, and sheriff were all masons. The men were for the most part found innocent, but the nature of the trial disturbed many though out the country. Newspapers wrote articles about the abuse of the Masons in public office and evangelical churches accused the Fraternity of being anti-Christian.

A desire for justice was the original motivation but the movement developed hostility to the fraternity on general principles. Masons were accused of elitism and of being an aristocracy. “Have they a longing for the faded liveries of the rotten Aristocracies of Europe?” asked a renouncing Mason. “Or, is it to prepare us for slavery, that they introduce the lordly names of ‘Most Worshipful’, of ‘Knights’, of ‘Kings’, and ‘High Priests’?”

An anti-Masonic political party was formed in 1831 and anti Masonry played a role in the campaign between Andrew Jackson (Past Grand Master of Tenn.) and John Quincy Adams. It should be noted that Benjamin B French arrived in Washington as a Mason and a “Jacksonian democrat” but developed a warm relationship with John Q Adams, a known anti-Mason, when Adams was elected to the House of Representatives. Br French describes in his diary that he was sure Quincy Adams had received false and misleading information about the craft. Br. French was in the house chamber that last day when Adams collapsed on the sofa and was the last to see him before he died. In his diary Br French writes warmly of their relationship.

This anti-Masonic activity had an effect on the fraternity that was profound, over the next decade and half Masonry lost more than half of its members and ceased creating new lodges. In NY, in 1827, there were 228 lodges and by 1837 there were only 26 left.

[narses]

You make much of the anti-Mason argument in your reply. A secret society that has killed to protect those secrets, alleged to use the most vile and blasphemous oaths but unwilling to discuss those oaths rather attack those who ask, well it does not sound at all Christian to me. More, some parts can require a Christian faith (even though many Christian communities decry them) while others allow many other faiths but all proclaim some kind of "universal brotherhood" while excluding women. Odd doesn't do it justice, and your claim that our Republic was founded on this murderous cabal certainly doesn't (ahem) square with established history. Secret meetings are an anethma to a free society, no?

[Polycarp]

If you want something to be afraid of, be afraid of your children being instructed by a gay priest

You are a perfect example of the vicious anti-Catholicism institutionalized in FreeMasonry.

[sitetest]

Dear narses,

"One of the Masons here claimed their Rites are not published for example. He also refused to reveal them (or at least failed to when asked)."

These are two different things. I don't know whether masonic rites are available to the general public. I don't really care. But I don't think it is at all unreasonable for a mason to refuse to reveal the rites of his fraternal order.

"You refuse which sounds to me as if you have given your word not to reveal them. Does that make the K of C a 'secret society'?"

I don't think so, but I'm not sure that masonry is, either.

It's enough, my friend, that we know that as loyal sons of the Church, we will not disobey her law. Masonry isn't for us. That's all.


sitetest

[narses]

I was not. Is this sourced? Can you link to the source?

[Pharmboy]

Whatever the negatives might be, there can be no doubt that this great Republic would not have been founded had it not been for Freemasonry. That, sir, is a fact. The Masons channeled the Enlightenment to North America; like it or not, 'tis true.

[Diver925]

If the Catholic church is against membership in the Masonic order, I wonder where they got their information to make their judgment? Did they send in a mole?

Or is it the secrecy they disagree with?

[Polycarp]

(Freemason) Archbishop Bugnini was the architect of the "new" Mass...

Hmmmm....

[nanny]

I had a relative (by marriage) who was 33rd degree Mason. Of course, he claimed to be a Christian, but contributed little to his church while contributing lavishly to the order. (See Matt. 6:21)

While I don't know your relative's reasons for contibuting to the Masons - I have seen first hand many reason to not contribute to churches these days.

[nanny]

George Washington, who was a Mason like a surprising number of our Founding Fathers, laid the cornerstone of the Masonic Temple in Alexandria, VA. Stick around here and you'll become convinced that he was a devil-worshiping, low-down, dishonorable, wicked, going-straight-to-hell drinker-of-infants-blood.

How true!! It is not like we had enough real evils in this country that needs to be dealt with.

[Diver925]

I'm a 3rd degree Mason and didn't see anything that went against my Christian beliefs. My grandfather was a past Master of the lodge and also a minister in the Church of Christ. My brother is also a past Master and an elder in his Presbyterian church.

The history of the Masons is deep and the work is colorful and intriguing, but to me the mission is that of bonding, partially through a pact and also through a joint effort to assist fellow members and do good works in the community.

There is also the Scottish Rite which my father and grandfather were members:

>>The Scottish Rite of Freemasonry is one of two branches of Freemasonry to which a Master Mason may proceed after he has completed the first three degrees of the Symbolic or "Blue" Lodge. The Scottish Rite includes the degrees from the 4° through the 32°. Although there are many Scottish Rite members of Scottish ancestry, the Scottish Rite actually originated in France in the early 18th century. During the 18th century, lodges were organized in the United States with the first Scottish Rite Supreme Council founded in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1801.<<

[narses]

My curiosity appears to be leading me where I perhaps ought not go, but what secrets does the KofC have that loyal Catholics may not tell? While I agree that Masons can have their own secrets, if they claim they have no secrets and then refuse to answer questions I certainly may draw my own conclusions from that behavior. In the instant case, I certainly ought to extend that same set of questions towards the K of C, shouldn't I? Or is it enough that the Church say "no" (and explains for good reason why it says so wrt the Masons) and the K of C issue is not relevant? I thought the keeping of secrets in the nature of fraternities was the mark of a "secret society" and was itself not Catholic. Perhaps I am wrong, and that would certainly not be setting a precedent, but if you can explain the differences to me I'd listen with great interest.

[Antoninus]

Bishop Annibale Bugnini

This article was written by Michael Davies and is sourced from a schismatic web site, just so the record is clear.

[sitetest]

Dear narses,

Where should I begin? You have lots of questions. Maybe I have an answer or two. ;-)

Regarding K of C secrets: don't ask; don't tell. But there may be one or two differences: First, though I will not reveal to you our ceremonials, they can be found with some research. Thus, our ceremonials aren't quite so secret. Second, the Church does not approve of secret societies where one may not tell one's confessor of these secrets. If one belongs to a secret society, and one may not reveal certain facts about it to one's confessor, one's confessor will be unable to give guidance in that area of one's life. The Knights of Columbus does not compromise a devout Catholic in this way. I won't comment beyond that, except to add that every Council is to have a Catholic priest for a chaplain.

But for the non-Catholic, that isn't an issue. Thus, I really don't have a problem with a mason refusing to reveal his ceremonials. I do have a problem with those who claim to be both Catholic and mason.


sitetest

[narses]

I had not even thought of the issue wrt a confessor. I won't press anymore, but I will thank you for your answers and struggle with my curiosity silently for a while.

[BenR2]

Some people just want to see Satanic influence in everything.

And some people have zero spiritual discernment.

[narses]

Can this be so?????

“We must strip from our Catholic prayers and from the Catholic liturgy everything which can be the shadow of a stumbling block for our separated brethren that is for the Prostestants.” (Archbishop Annibale Bugnini, main author of the New Mass, L'Osservatore Romano, March 19, 1965)

[BenR2]

Why not find a Mason on good standing -- and ask HIM?

That works every darn time!

//////
Right! (Not!)

[BenR2]

Not from any of my Bretheren, that's for sure!

////
Perhaps you and your "Bretheren" are deceived?