Lichtenauer explanation

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The Lichtenau Declaration is the final document of a dialogue event between Freemasons from Germany, Austria and Switzerland and representatives of the Roman Catholic Church in Lichtenau , Upper Austria, from July 3 to July 5, 1970. The document describes the attitude of Freemasonry towards the Catholic Church, is "a comprehensive declaration from the Masonic side". It was signed by the church dialogue participants, but since then the Lichtenau declaration has received "no church authorization".

Lichtenau Castle. The "Lichtenau Declaration" was signed in the so-called Palas

Prehistory: Vatican II and aftermath

The Second Vatican Council , "Vaticanum II", started in 1961 under Pope John XXIII. , ended under Pope Paul VI. in 1965, led to an update of church dogmatic principles, for example the acceptance of religious freedom . This also includes: ecumenical opening (non-Catholics were invited as observers), opening to the world, dialogue with non-Christians (recognition of ethical and religious values ​​outside the church).

The canonical church law (CIC) certain at the time of the Council, with level since 1917 that a Catholic merely by entering into a Masonic association automatically (ipso facto) excommunicates was. During the council, a group of bishops around Archbishop Lefebvre wanted the Freemasons to be condemned again - but this did not materialize. The pamphlet Gaudium et spes (joy and hope) treats under point 92 the desire to enter into a dialogue with people who do not belong to the church, provided that they “cultivate high goods or humanity…”. A decision to start a formal dialogue with Freemasonry cannot be found in the final documents of the council.

Vatican II nonetheless had repercussions: the humanity declared by the council, tolerance and the required freedom of conscience and religion were the ground on which a rapprochement between the Church and Freemasonry could be attempted. Responsible for a dialogue with the Freemasons was the “Roman Secretariat for the Non-Believers” , which was headed by Cardinal King of Vienna . In agreement with the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (Prefect: Cardinal Franjo Šeper ) four theologians were appointed (de Toth, Schwarzbauer, Vorgrimler, Vodka, functions see below), who met four representatives of the United Grand Lodges of Germany (VGLvD) ( Vogel , Appel, Walter, Hoede, functions see below), at times supported by representatives of the Masonic lodges from Austria and Switzerland, met for the first dialogue discussions between 1968 and 1970. On February 26, 1968, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith addressed many bishops around the world with a “list of questions regarding Freemasonry”. Then there were talks between Cardinal König and the Austrian deputy Grand Master of the Freemasons Kurt Baresch (March 23, 1968), and the Grand Master of the VGLvD Theodor Vogel (October 14, 1968). Dialogue discussions followed in Innsbruck, Augsburg, Einsiedeln Abbey (Switzerland) and ultimately in Lichtenau until 1970.

Goals, key sentences and whereabouts of the Lichtenau declaration

During the preparation of the Lichtenau talks, strict confidentiality was agreed. The goal from the ecclesiastical point of view was a “Pro Memoria” (To Remember), which was supposed to reach the Pope from Cardinal König via Franjo Šeper. This Pro Memoria should e.g. B. contain: the expression of the interest of the Freemasons "to put the relationship between Church and Freemasonry on a new level", as well as "a description of the relationship to religion and the Catholic Church". From the perspective of the Freemasons, it was important that the church abandon its negative judgment and that the CIC's penal provision on the sudden effective excommunication, Canon 2335, be reviewed.

The key sentences of the Declaration of July 5, 1970 are:

  • The Freemasons have no common concept of God. Freemasonry is not a religion and does not teach a religion.
  • The Freemasons pay homage to the principle of freedom of conscience, belief and spirit and reject any coercion that threatens this freedom. They respect every sincere confession and every honest conviction. They reject any discrimination against those who think differently.

The Lichtenau declaration culminates in the following final statement (IX):

  • “We are of the opinion that the papal cops who deal with Freemasonry have only a historical meaning and are no longer in our time. We also mean the same of the condemnations of canon law (CIC) , because according to the foregoing they simply cannot be justified in relation to Freemasonry by a church that teaches according to God's command to love one's brother. "

There was agreement among all participants in the dialogue, the Freemasons from Germany, Austria and Switzerland as well as the church representatives, in the understanding of God's command to love brotherly.

The Lichtenau Declaration was advised by the representatives of the (regular) Masonic grand lodges in Germany, Austria and Switzerland as well as the representatives of the Vatican, members of the “Theological Commission of the Catholic Church” under Franz König, who was temporarily involved in the dialogue. With their signature, the Catholic dialogue participants acknowledged and approved the declaration of the Freemasons. The opinion occasionally found in the literature that Franz König also signed for the Catholic Church is incorrect: he did not sign the declaration, but accepted it and "informed Rome of its content". Schrefler quotes: "... Cardinal König accepts the declaration with gratitude ... He repeats that he had been given to understand from the highest authority that the condemnation of Freemasonry would no longer be contained in the canon of the Church".

The signatories of the Lichtenau Declaration of July 5, 1970 were:

  • The Masonic Dialogue Participants
    • Germany: For the United Grand Lodges of Germany : Theodor Vogel, former grandmaster of the VGL, Rolf Appel, member of the Senate of the VGL, Ernst Walter, member of the Senate of the VGL, Karl Hoede, old grand speaker
    • Switzerland: Swiss grand lodge ALPINA, Alfred Roesli, former grand secretary ALPINA, Franco Fumagalli, master of the chair ALPINA
    • Austria: Kurt Baresch, Deputy Grand Master of the Grand Lodge Grand Lodge of Austria , Ferdinand Cap, Senior Chair Master of Austria, Rüdiger Vonwiller, Senior Chair Master of Austria
  • The dialogue participants of the Theological Commission of the Catholic Church

Aftermath, further discussions between the Church and Freemasons

Canon law was formally defused: In July 1974, a letter from the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith Franjo Šeper to the presidents of the Bishops' Conferences stipulates that the excommunication provision (CIC, Canon 2335) only concerns Catholics, “join organizations that conspire against the Church” In the new version of the CIC, November 27, 1983, Freemasonry is no longer explicitly mentioned.

From 1974 to 1980 official discussions took place between a working group of the German Bishops' Conference and a delegation of the German Freemasons ( VGLvD division ). This ended on May 12, 1980 with a unilateral declaration by the Bishops' Conference, which states: "Belonging to [Freemasonry] calls the foundations of Christian existence into question" and in the final sentence: "Simultaneous membership of the Catholic Church and Freemasonry is excluded." The Freemasons had left the rituals of the three degrees of St. John's Church to the church representatives . The evaluation of the Bishops' Conference, perceived by the Freemasons as a step backwards behind the results of the Lichtenau dialogue, was rejected. Joachim Müller shows understanding for the reactions of the Freemasons: "Understandable therefore the reactions of the Masonic lodges in Germany." In the statement of Jürgen Holtorf, Grand Master, it is regretted that the dialogue that has begun ends with such a one-sided declaration. Attached is the declaration "that the laws of the Freemasons allow every Catholic to become a Freemason without impairing or influencing the practice of his faith!"

On the significance of the 1983 Declaration of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith

On November 26, 1983, one day before the amended CIC came into force, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith published the Declaratio de associationibus massonicis (' Declaratio de associationibus massonicis' (' Declaratio de associationibus massonicis' ) signed by the then Prefect Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (2005-2013: Benedict XVI ) and approved by Pope John Paul II. Declaration on the Masonic Associations'). The declaration not only confirms the statement of the German Bishops' Conference of May 1980 and states: "The negative judgment of the church about the Masonic associations remains unchanged because their principles have always been viewed as incompatible with the teaching of the church", but even speaks a “punishment” from: “The believers who belong to Masonic associations are thus in a state of serious sin and cannot receive Holy Communion”.

With the decree of 1983 and its explanatory provision: "Authorities of the local church are not entitled to express themselves about the nature of Masonic associations in a judgment that overrides the above," officials of the Catholic Church are also denied To carry on the reconciliation ideas of the Lichtenau Declaration. The declaration is criticized especially in conservative circles. So she called z. B. the theologian David Berger in 2006 as disastrous: "The disastrous Lichtenau declaration is essentially based on Vorgrimler's initiatives". In 2010, however, he relativized his statements about Freemasonry, praised them for their “commitment to freedom, equality, tolerance and humanity” and criticized the declaration of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith as “oriented towards the past”.

For the declaration of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith of 1983, various canonical reports were obtained, which led to controversial results. It is undisputed that the declaration of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith of 1983 “has no legal quality” and is to be regarded as a “moral law”. It is also indisputable that “the prohibition stipulated in the declaration against joining a Masonic lodge as a Catholic Christian must be observed. The same applies to the prohibition of public declarations of dissenting opinions expressed in the direction of other church authorities. "

The theologian Hans Küng deals with the Lichtenau Declaration and the Declaratio in a published speech entitled “Freemasonry and Church” and comes to the conclusion: “With many others in all Christian churches I share the conviction that a Christian can be a Freemason and a Freemason Christian. "The question:" Can a Christian be a Freemason? "Answered the Freemason Rolf Appel" clearly with yes ":" The Freemasons mean by humanity the free development of personality, self-education, the realization of the human being in a free, humane society which includes the protection of the weak, the balance of interests, the fight against social injustice and the willingness to help. "

Current relevance of the Lichtenau Declaration

According to the press service of the secretariat of the German Bishops 'Conference on May 12, 1980, the statement by the German Bishops' Conference that the Lichtenau Declaration "did not receive any ecclesiastical authorization" is still valid today.

This attitude was initially regretted by German Freemasonry. Today the United Grand Lodges of Germany (VGLvD) do not see a revival of the dialogue. Nevertheless, the process of rapprochement between Freemasonry and the Catholic Church that began with the Second Vatican Council continues. In the new version of the CIC , Freemasonry is no longer explicitly mentioned. A statement of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith of November 26, 1983 on the compatibility of Freemasonry with the Christian faith, which has been published unchanged by the Vatican to this day (in German, by the way, for the first time on February 8, 2011), declares Freemasons as living in the status of serious sin and thus excommunicated. In the "Complete List of Documents" of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith there is no other publication on this subject, from which the validity of the excommunication of the Freemasons is still valid today.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Text of the original document in: Freemason Wiki. Retrieved September 22, 2010
  2. ↑ The text of the CIC, as of 1917, in Latin, University of Lucerne, accessed October 7, 2010 ( Memento of November 5, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) ( MS Word ; 1.4 MB)
  3. ↑ a b Harald Schrefler: The Catholic Church and Freemasonry. A documentary review and the dialogues in Austria in the 20th and 21st centuries. Dissertation at the University of Vienna, University Library, Vol. D 35.854, 2009, p. 89
  4. ↑ Klaus Kottmann, The Freemasons and the Catholic Church , Frankfurt / Main 2009, p. 220
  5. ↑ now: “Pontifical Cultural Council” “Cultural Council” ( memento of September 17, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) in: Vatican Radio, accessed on October 12, 2010
  6. ↑ Kottmann, p. 222
  7. ↑ Harald Schrefler, The Pope and the Freemasons , Innsbruck 2010, p. 114
  8. ↑ Harald Schrefler, The Pope and the Freemasons , p. 117
  9. ↑ Schrefler: The Catholic Church and Freemasonry, Vienna 2009, pp. 117–118
  10. ^ Lennhoff-Posner-Bindner: Internationales Freemaurerlexikon. Munich 2006, p. 458
  11. ↑ Schrefler: The Catholic Church and Freemasonry, Vienna 2009, pp. 117–118
  12. ↑ List of participants according to: Schrefler: The Catholic Church and Freemasonry, Dissertation University of Vienna, Vienna 2009, p. 225
  13. ↑ a b Joachim Müller: Freemasonry and the Catholic Church. Fears - arguments - attempts at dialogue. Information on the new religious scene, Vol. 6, Kanisiusverlag, 1995. Online version ( memento from May 26, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) from October 20, 2005, Catholic work center 'New Religious Movements' of the Swiss Bishops' Conference, accessed on September 22, 2010
  14. ↑ Schrefler: The Catholic Church and Freemasonry, Vienna 2009, p. 118, p. 226–234: Schrefler's dissertation contains the entire declaration of the Bishops' Conference as an appendix
  15. ↑ Schrefler: The Catholic Church and Freemasonry, Vienna 2009, p. 118, p. 122 ff
  16. ↑ a b c Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith: Judgment of the Church unchanged (Retrieved May 6, 2013)
  17. ^ David Berger: Herbert Vorgrimler's Memoirs. Theological, Catholic Monthly Publication, vol. 36, No. 11/12, Nov./Dec.2006, pp. 353–361, Verlag nova + vetera, Bonn 2006 .pdf (May 6, 2013)
  18. ↑ The holy glow: As a gay theologian in the Catholic Church. Berlin 2010. p. 98
  19. ↑ Klaus Kottmann, The Freemasons and the Catholic Church, Frankfurt / Main 2009, p. 296
  20. ↑ Hans Küng : Freemasonry and Church. Grand Lodge of the Old Free and Accepted Masons of Germany, archived from the original on November 23, 2010 ; accessed on February 28, 2016 .
  21. ^ Rolf Appel and Herbert Vorgrimler: Church and Freemasons in Dialogue , Frankfurt 1975, p. 193
  22. ↑ Schrefler: The Catholic Church and Freemasonry, Vienna 2009, p. 226
  23. ↑ Inconciliabilità tra fede cristiana e massoneria. Retrieved January 23, 2019 .
  24. ↑ Doctrine Documents. Retrieved January 23, 2019 .

literature

  • Rolf Appel and Herbert Vorgrimler: Church and Freemasons in Dialog. Frankfurt 1975. This publication was rated by Franz Cardinal König as an “unbelievable breach of trust”, since the Lichtenau dialogue with its “Pro memoria” was confidential and intended only for the Pope; see. Schrefler: The Catholic Church and Freemasonry , Vienna 2009, p. 119
  • Kurt Baresch: Catholic Church and Freemasonry. A fraternal dialogue 1968–1983. Vienna 1983
  • David Berger: Herbert Vorgrimler's Memoirs. Theologisches, Katholische Monatsschrift, vol. 36, no. 11/12, Nov./Dec.2006, pp. 353–361, Verlag nova + vetera, Bonn 2006
  • Franz König: The Adventure of Dialogue. Düsseldorf 1969
  • Klaus Kottmann: The Freemasons and the Catholic Church. From the historical overview to the current legal situation . Verlag Peter Lang, Frankfurt am Main 2009. 370 pp. (Dissertation, Catholic theologian)
  • Hans Küng : Freemasonry and the Church. Speech on the occasion of the awarding of the "Culture Prize of German Freemasons 2007". In: Internet presence of the Grand Lodge AFuAMvD ((Humanitarian) Grand Lodge of the 'Old Free and Accepted Masons of Germany').
  • Joachim Müller: Freemasonry and the Catholic Church. Fears-arguments-dialogue attempts. October 20, 2005, In: Infosekten - Catholic work center 'New religious movements' of the Swiss Bishops' Conference
  • Harald Schrefler: The Catholic Church and Freemasonry. A documentary review and the dialogues in Austria in the 20th and 21st centuries. Dissertation at the University of Vienna, University Library Bd. D 35.854, Vienna 2009. Published as a book, Innsbruck 2010: The Pope and the Freemasons. A scientific discourse. ISBN 978-3-7065-4991-2

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