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The Catholic Archdiocese of Accra has reiterated its unwavering stance against Freemasonry, emphasizing that membership in Masonic associations is incompatible with Catholic doctrine.
In an official statement titled “Catholics and Freemasonry,” signed by Most Rev. John Bonaventure Kwofie, the Church dismissed any suggestions that its position on the matter has changed. “The answer is simply ‘No.’ The Church has not changed its position on Freemasons. You can’t be a true Catholic and a Freemason at the same time,” the statement declared.
The document cited the 1983 Declaration on Masonic Associations by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which stated that Masonic principles are fundamentally irreconcilable with Catholic teachings. The declaration emphasized that Catholics who join Freemasonry commit a grave sin and are barred from receiving Holy Communion.
“Membership in Masonic associations remains forbidden. The faithful who enroll in Masonic associations are in a state of grave sin and may not receive Holy Communion,” the statement reiterated.
The Archdiocese highlighted key doctrinal conflicts between Freemasonry and Catholicism. It criticized Freemasonry’s tendency to equate Jesus Christ with other religious figures, such as Buddha, Krishna, and Confucius, and to direct prayers to the “Great Architect of the Universe” instead of Christ. These practices, according to the Church, undermine the unique divinity of Christ and the central role of Christianity in salvation.
The statement further condemned Freemasonry for allegedly promoting ideologies that seek to weaken Christianity, warning that no individual can simultaneously claim to be a devout Catholic and a Freemason.
“Freemasonry wants the destruction of Christianity, and no one can claim to be a proud Catholic and a Freemason,” the Archdiocese asserted.
