Lots of Catholics I know are members of Masonic lodges. In one context, I learned that a Catholic Mason asked permission of his bishop to join the lodge, and he received it!
Alex:
This situation was supposed to have been clarified for Catholics many years ago under the reign of the late Pope John Paul II. The late Cardinal John Krol of Philadelphia was supposed to have written the clarification at the Pope's request about 1984. The word is that a Catholic cannot join the Masonic order under any circumstances and Byzantophile is correct about the sentence of excommunication. There had been some confusion after the Vatican Council but this clarification was supposed to have restored the Church's traditional position vis-a-vis the Masons.
BOB
