ESNE - Actualidad y Fe · El Sembrador Ministries

¿Qué dice la Iglesia sobre la Masonería?

·53 min·4 clips

The guest explains how Freemasonry's 'Great Architect of the Universe' is a deistic god, fundamentally different from the Christian God.

1. Actualidad y Fe, the ESNE Televisión and ESNE Radio program, dedicates this episode to answering the question: what does the Catholic Church say about Freemasonry? 2. Guest José Tomás Martínez is introduced as a licensed author and Catholic preacher from Paraguay, formerly president or coordinator of the Charismatic Renewal, and author of three books. 3. The episode's central purpose is to provide Catholics with accurate doctrinal information to counter widespread misinformation about whether dual Catholic-Masonic membership is acceptable. 4. Martínez defines Freemasonry using the Spanish dictionary ('a secret association that professes mutual fraternity, uses emblems and signs, and groups in lodges'), notes its critics call it a 'socio-political mafia,' and dates its founding to 1717 in London. 5. Pope Clement XII issued the first Church condemnation in 1738 through the papal bull 'In Eminenti,' excommunicating any Catholic who registered with Freemasonry. 6. Pope Leo XIII's 'Humanum Genus' encyclical is identified as the most extensive Church document on the subject, in which the Pope denounced Masonic infiltration of the Church and states and classified Freemasonry as a sect practicing 'naturalism.' 7. The 1983 revision of the Code of Canon Law removed the automatic excommunication, which Martínez says led to widespread false claims that the Church had accepted dual membership. 8. The Congregation of the Faith's letter accompanying the 1983 revision clarified that Catholics who join Freemasonry still cannot receive sacraments and must confess with a firm promise to leave before being readmitted to communion. 9. A 2023 response from the Congregation of the Faith to a Philippine priest reaffirmed that the full 1983 prohibition remains current doctrine and recommended that Philippine bishops provide catechesis on Freemasonry in parishes. 10. The German Episcopal Conference's authorised 1976-1980 dialogue with Masonic hierarchs identified three core theological incompatibilities: Freemasonry's relativism, its deistic conception of God ('Grand Architect'), and its reading of Lucifer as an angel of light rather than Satan. 11. Pope John XXIII's document 'Custodia' stated that 'Masonry and Christianity are irreconcilable terms; to belong to one means to separate from the other.' 12. The Argentine Episcopal Conference's pastoral letter to youth described Catholicism and Masonry as contradicting and excluding each other absolutely 'like Christ and the Antichrist.' 13. Martínez shares the account of a Master Mason who, after encountering the contradictions between Masonry and Christianity, approached him personally, then later returned to Eucharistic adoration; the man's son later confirmed this to Martínez at a supermarket. 14. A parish catechist who held double membership—Catholic catechist and Freemason simultaneously—eventually left Masonry after pressure from fellow parishioners and surrendered to God before his death. 15. Martínez identifies two root causes of Catholic vulnerability to Freemasonry: ignorance of Scripture and ignorance of Catholic doctrine, noting he has met priests who do not know what Freemasonry is. 16. Pope Leo XIII's 'Humanum Genus' prescribes four remedies against Freemasonry, one of which is catechesis for children and parish members about the dangers of secret associations. 17. The host includes a commercial segment advertising the Metanoia Congress at the Los Angeles Convention Center on August 8-9, 2026, and promoting the ESNE application available on Roku, Amazon, and Apple TV. 18. The episode ends with the conversion testimony of José Escún, a Guatemalan man who survived a traffic accident in his teens, made a promise to God in the hospital, and has served in the Sembrador ministry for over 30 years. 19. Practicing Catholics who want a doctrinal grounding in the Church's formal position on Freemasonry and practical parish-level guidance will find this episode directly useful. 20. Non-Catholic listeners or those seeking a neutral academic or journalistic treatment of Freemasonry will find the framing entirely apologetic and one-sided.

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