Freemasonry’s Removal from the Code of Canon Law

During most of the twentieth century, the prohibition on Catholics being Freemasons was well known, as it was explicitly mentioned in the the 1917 Code of Canon Law. Canon 2335 conferred the penalty of excommunication on any Catholic who was the member of a sect which conspired against the Church or the State, including Freemasonry.
However, as time progressed, various clerics began to engage in an appeasement approach which caused confusion among the faithful – and indeed, among the clergy themselves. This came to a head in the 1970’s when Cardinal John Krol of Philadelphia requested clarification on the matter from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The Prefect of the CDF at that time was Cardinal Franjo Seper, who wrote to Cardinal Krol assuring him that the penalty of automatic excommunication only applied to members of those organisations which actively plotted against the Church.
Coming as it did, with the apparent authority of the CDF, this statement was seen by many …