In recent times, the issue of whether one can be a Catholic and a Freemason at
the same time has been discussed extensively on the social media. Various
Catholic episcopal conferences and individual Catholic bishops and archbishops
have made it abundantly clear, that one cannot be a Catholic and a Freemason
at the same time. This is because Freemasonry is a religion in its own right and
incompatible with the Catholic Faith.
Against this background, the Noble Order of Knights and Ladies of Marshall,
strongly supports the Church’s position of the incompatibility of Freemasonry
with the Catholic Faith. We are aware of the condemnation of Freemasonry by
as many as eleven popes since its inception. It was also condemned by the
Declaration on Masonic Associations issued by the Congregation for the Doctrine
of the Faith on 26th November, 1983, under the Prefecture of Joseph Cardinal
Ratzinger. Further, as recently as 13th November, 2023, a new statement was
issued by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith following a meeting on
Freemasonry with a bishop from the Philippines. The document that was
released following that meeting, reiterates the same position: one cannot be a
Catholic and a Freemason at the same time. On 2nd February, 2025, a statement
on the issue of incompatibility of the Catholic Faith and Freemasonry from the
Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference was read in all Catholic Churches in
Ghana.
In the light of the above, the Noble Order of the Knights and Ladies of Marshall
in Ghana, Togo, Benin, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso and the
United Kingdom, pledge to abide by the position of the Church on the
incompatibility of the Catholic Faith and Freemasonry. We also pledge to
continue with an ongoing catechesis and education of our members on the
Church’s position.
Additionally, we pledge as a last resort, to expel from the Noble Order any
member who flouts this position and report that person to the appropriate
ecclesiastical authorities for guidance, counselling, penance and sanctions (if
necessary).
We further find recent media statements by some personalities equating the
Noble Order to Freemasons quite unfortunate, mischievous and a
misrepresentation of the vision and mission of the Noble Order. We wish to
emphatically state that, the Noble Order of Knights and Ladies of Marshall is a
Catholic religious, fraternal, educational and charitable organization of noble
men and women engaged in the noble works of friendship, education, relief and
disaster management, service to mankind and charity.
We are a committed and knowledgeable body of Catholic Men and Women
imbued with unalloyed Catholic faith and ever determined to play our individual
and collective roles at the highest level towards the realization of the universal
sacrament of salvation. (Universales Salutatis Sacramentum)
Signed:
Sir Kt. Bro. Richard Ayih-Akakpo
Supreme Knight
Knights of Marshall
MRL Sis. Patricia Dunenye
Grand Lady
Ladies of Marshall