Understanding ecumenism

Title

Creator

Pabillo, Conrado C.

Language

English

Source

The Cabletow XLIV (9) September 1968

Year

1968

Subject

Ecumenical movement

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Fulltext

A time to speak . . . Bro. Conrado C. Pabillo (33) Its philosophy traceable to the spi ritual beliefs of the earliest forebears of Adam and Eve and its organisa tion historically linked to the build ing of King Solomon’s Temple at Mt. Moriah, Jerusalem, Masonry can claim to be the oldest fraternal or ganization for men. But, ironically, it is one of the least understood and, perhaps, the most misunderstood. This irony has hurt the Order. Philippine Masons have been hurt the most because the different Papal Encyclicals which excluded them from the Eucharistic Communion in fluence the predominantly Catholic population to be antagonistic towards them. It is only in the last five years that Philippine Masons have a respite from this arittude due to the liberality of Pope John XXIII and Pope Paul VI — which began with the ecumenical movement of the former. The Philippine Grand Lodge did right in taking advantage of this pe riod of open-mindedness, on the part of the Vatican, by encouraging dia logues, discourses, associations, and fraternizations with Catholic organi zations and leaders. Likewise, Past Grand Master William Quasha did a worthy service when he directly and personally communicated with the Vatican in behalf of Filipino Ca tholic Masons. Every Mason in the Philippine Jurisdiction should not miss this opportunity to project a favorable picture of Freemasonry in order that non-Masons may be more informed about this Fraternity; that Catholics may better understand its objectives; and, that the Philippine Catholic hierarchy may lend a more receptive ear to its request for the UNDERSTANDING ECUMENISM i lifting of the Papal condemnations against Freemasonry. In group discussions, private ex changes of opinions, or when called upon to present the side of Free masonry, it may help to be wellinformed on various related subjects. The following food for thought seek to serve as a guide in this regard. INITIALLY, two things about Catholicism must be recognized: 1) the observation that Philippine Roman Catholicism has virtually ceased to be missionary, and 2) the fact that iay Catholics are not free to make interpretations about Chris tianity — the “magisterium” or teach ing authorities of the Church do it for them. The first brings the reali zation that the burden of obtaining 'rescript” from the Papal bans rests primarily with Philippine Masons in asmuch as the Church, not much in terested any more in gaining converts, is not expected to voluntarily nave the way for the re-admission of Catholic Masons into the “Community of the Church”. The second focuses atten tion on the need to revise atti’ude to wards Catholics — instead of the usual recriminations ranging from the charge of bigotry to fanaticism, there should be understanding and accep tance of a Catholic’s faith. This doc trine of unquestioning acquiescense to what the Church says, having wea thered the splinter of Christianity in to two — the Church of Rome and the Church of Constantinople in 1054, the division into Protestantism offi cially started by Martin Luther on October 31, 1517, the secession of the Church of England in 1534. and the Renaissance Movement of the Tum to n»xt page SEPTEMBER, 1968 14th and 15th centuries, will not be changed. If Masons want the Ca tholics to understand them, the for mer must first understand the latter. SECONDLY, for Philippine Ma sons to utilize the ecumenical move ment as a means to their, ends, they must fully know the meaning and application of the term "ecumenical movement". This term has two senses: the ecclesiastical and the non-ecclcsiastical. The generally accepted mean ing is the ecclesiastical which refers to the call for unity of all Chris tians of different religious persua sions and denominations, the lessknown, because it seldom appears in the smaller and abridged dictionaries, is the non-ecclesiastical sense which means liberality, tolerance, and world wide acceptance. In seeking rapproachement with the Church by in voking “ecumenicity”. Masons may do veil to qualify "ecumenicity” as referring to the non-ecclesiastical sense; otherwise, they may fall 'ihto an embarrassing acceptance that Free masonry is a form of religion. THIRDLY, it is to their advan tage if Masons possess wider ideas about Papal Encyclicals because even while the different Papal Encyclicals from Pope Clement XII to Pope Leo XIII were the bane of Freemasonry, it is in knowing the nature and breadth of Encyclicals that Freema sonry, Philippine Masonry that is, may find justice for its cause. The nature of Encyclicals is such that they are only circularized after a thorough study by a commission of experts leafing through documents and other evidences. Their breadth are for definite moments of history, in response to contemporary situa tions, and for specific areas. It may be concluded, therefore, that Masons will be uselessly “bark ing at the wrong tree” if, in the es pousal of their cause, they continue to insist that the different Papal bans against Freemasonry are without ba sis in fact — there were. It will be more productive of satisfactory re sults if “briefs” from these Papal bans may be based on the breadth of such Encyclicals and Constitutions That they are for definite moments of history make them subject for re view — thus the ban started by Pope Clement XII was confirmed, re-affirmed, or ratified by other Popes, in their times, notably by Be nedict XIV, Pius VII. Leo XII, Pius VIII, Gregory XVI, and Pius IX and liberalized by Paul VI — thence making tenable the Philippine Ma sonry’s position on the rescripts. Un der the concept of "response to con temporary situations”, Philippine Ma sonry’s claims can be supported by the great differences in the socio political atmospheres between today’s and those of the 18th and 19th cen turies when the bloody emancipatory struggles throughout the world con tributed immensely to the issuance of Encyclicals against Freemasonry. The present situation docs not create any climate which can be inimical to the relationship between Freemason ry and the Church. While the condemnation of Free masonry from the Seat of Episcopal Powers is comprehensive, yet some declarations from Rome were selec tive — witness the declaration by Pope Leo XIII against the Masons of Italy only and that by Pope Pau) VI for the Masons of England and the United States only. This gives hope to Philippine Masonry that its case may be treated separately from those of other Masonic Jurisdictions. FOURTHLY, a fuller grasp of the histories of Masonry in general and of Philippine Masonry in parti cular will enlighten more the cynics in the Philippine Freemasonry's de sire for communion with the Church. Torn pts« 17 The Ceblefow UNDERSTANDING ... From pose 4 For instance, it may be pointed out that the first Filipino Masonic Lodge, the Lodge Nilad No. 144. was approved only on March 10, 1892, while Papal censures were as early as Pope Clement XII’s of April 28, 1738 and as late as Pope Leo XIII’s of April 20, 1884. Whatever lodges there were in the Philippines before 1892 were' those for Euro peans and Penninsular Spaniards — Filipinos were admitted as members only somewhere and sometime in 1885. Philippine Freemasonry, there fore, could not have participated in the precipitation of the clash between Freemasonry and the Church since it was non-existent at the time. Another is a fact in Freemasonry’s organization wherein there has been no central authority — each Grand Lodge is autonomous with its own Constitution and Ry-Laws. The only tie among the different Grand Lodges is the "ancient landmarks” most im portant of which is the mode of re cognition. The act of omission or of commission of one Grand Lodge, therefore, may not necessarilv reflect on another. This fact is essential to know because considering that almost all evidences in support of the va rious Papal Encyclicals in condemna tion of Freemasonry were from the acts of the lodges in France and Italy and, such acts not having been endorsed by the Philippine Grand Lodge, then the latter cannot be jointly held responsible with the (or mer. Perhaps, it is in recognition of this Masonic organizational struc ture that Pope Paul VI on March 12, 1968 exempted the Catholic Ma sons of England and the United States from automatic ex-communication by their ipso jacto membership in lodges in those jurisdictions. Phil ippine Freemasonry may seek the same exemption under the same ground. FIFTHLY, it may be to the ad vantage of Freemasonry if Philippine Masons should help dispel the myth of mysticism surrounding this fra ternal organization. One way of doing this is to explain some ter minologies. From about 1000 BC where in Asia Minor there was organized the “Fraternity of Dionysiac Artificers", composed mostly of priest architects and engineers, up to the building of King Solomon’s Temple where the “Institution of Freemasonry” began, and to the 14th century, Craftsmen in pursuit of architectural designs and constructions of edifices and cathe drals organized themselves into "Guilds” — being actual stonesquarers. they were termed “Opera tive Masons”. After the decline of the construction projects, persons not members of any skilled craft were allowed as members of these guilds and Masonry became theoritic, hence the term "Speculative Masonry”. Speculative Masonry started in the British Tslcs in the Medieval ages: present-dav Masons fall in the cate gory of Speculative Masons. Specu lative Masons are linked to the Op erative Masons in that instead of being builders of stone structures, thev become moulders of character and that, they use the tools of the Operative Masons as symbols of some aspects of moralitv which they incul cate. The term “ancient” has reference to antiquity; although some writers, perhaps alluding only to Speculative Masonry, trace the origin of the term to a Lodge in England. The Brit ish Museum is in possession of the "Regius” or “Halliwell” Masonic manuscript dated 1390. But, the first Grand Lodge, the "Premier Grand Lodge”, was organized in 1717 on the birthdav of St Tohn the Bap tist. on Tune 24, through the efforts Turn to next pogo SEPTEMBER, 1968 17 of two Protestant Ministers, Ander son and Desaguilers. There sprouted other lodges, most influential of which was the "Ancient Grand Lodge of England”. There started a great schism in the Masonry of England — this was supposed to have been instigated by Irish Masons residing in London. These Irish Masons, not of the older branch of Masonry and belonging to the "Premier Lodge” caused the latter to be called the 'Moderns”. The struggle between the “Ancients” and the “Moderns” ended in a merger on December 27, 1883. The present practice of affixing the word "ancient” in the phrase "ancient and accepted” does not, however, in fer a line of descent — it is only a matter of taste. The term "free and accepted” while finding rational explanation in Operative Masonry i3 more applica ble to Speculative Masonry. Mem bers of the ancient guilds of crafts men were ‘free’ to pursue their own ventures under the rules of ethics of the guild. In the building of King Solomon’s Temple, the workers and their descendants were exempted or freed’ from the payment of taxes and duties and were ‘accepted’ as work ers on the basis of their skills as apprentices, craftsmen, or masters. After Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the Temple and King Cyrus decided to have it rebuilt, he ‘freed’ the Jews from captivity and ‘accepted’ them for the reconstruction job. Specula tive Masonry ‘accepts’ members on the basis of their character and God liness and such members are free to enjoy the privileges of the Order. Masonically, the word ‘free’ does not connote the popular concept of liber ty even if the ritual says "free-born”. The term "ancient mysteries” gen erally taken by non-Masons as mean ing strange, occult, or unknown pow er had a different meaning in past centuries down to the Middle Ages — it then meant “skilled craft”. Handed down in the rituals, "ancient mys teries” in a Masonic way, refer to the secrets of the trade of craftsmen. Incidentally, these ancient mysteries mostly came from Egypt, Syria, and Greece. The term “brotherhood” fourxl its deeper meaning in the mystic tie of Freemasonry when Hiram Abif, a member of the Fraternity of Dionysiac Artificers and one of the prin cipal builders of King Solomon’s tern pie, was able to establish a strong bond of harmony and friendship be tween the Jews and the Tyrians which races, then, were so antagon istic both in religions and in man ners. Masons, as a rule, tend to refute with silence anv calumny heaped against them. Perhaps, the general inhibitions against public participa tions especially on social affairs and the prohibition against the solicita tions for members abetted, again per haps, by the uncertainties of which portion of the rituals are isoteric and which are exoteric, produce these en gulfing shells of silence. But, records show that when Caolic Masons could not defend their convictions and their ideals tn the stillness of death, their families, understandinglv wanting to be secure in a Church burial, “agreed to their retractions”. The opportunity to cor rect this incongruous situation is with in sight through th<- application of ecumenicitv by way of the revision of the Papal Encyclicals which con demned Freemasonry. In times like these, silence is not golden. The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. — Edmund Burke 18 The Cabletow

pages

3-4, 17-18

Media