The bishops of the Nordic Episcopal Conference have published a letter addressed to the priests of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden to settle an issue which, they acknowledge, has for years created uncertainty among many of the faithful: the possibility that a Catholic may belong to a masonic lodge.
After expressly consulting the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, the prelates state that there is no exception to the universal discipline of the Church for the Nordic countries.
The bishops explain that for decades the idea spread that Scandinavian Freemasonry, because of its particular characteristics, could be compatible with the Catholic faith. That interpretation had raised numerous pastoral and sacramental doubts, especially among the faithful coming from other countries where the incompatibility between membership in Freemasonry and the Church’s doctrine has always been clear.
In order to resolve the question definitively, the Nordic Episcopal Conference consulted the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith during its plenary assembly held in Rome in September 2025. According to the bishops themselves, the dicastery’s response was “crystal clear.”
Consequently, the prelates recall that the norms of the Church’s universal law and the indications of the Holy See on Freemasonry “apply in full and without exception” in the Nordic countries. The letter expressly refers to the note of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith of 13 November 2023, which reaffirmed the validity of the declaration on masonic associations promulgated in 1983 by the then Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
Pastoral and sacramental consequences
In addition to recalling the Church’s doctrine, the bishops set out several concrete guidelines for pastoral action. First, they note that every Catholic who belongs to a masonic lodge must be encouraged to abandon that affiliation. While he remains in it, he must refrain from receiving Holy Communion and may not receive the other sacraments.
Likewise, those who request baptism or wish to be received into full communion with the Catholic Church must first renounce their membership in Freemasonry.
The bishops also add that no parish, religious institute, association or Catholic institution may establish agreements of collaboration with masonic lodges or use facilities belonging to them.
The prelates stress that this teaching does not constitute a judgment on the good will of persons who belong to Freemasonry, but responds to the conviction that “the theological and philosophical principles of Freemasonry are incompatible with a full profession of the Catholic faith.”
At the same time, they ask priests to accompany “with clarity of judgment and a pastoral heart” the faithful who must break their ties with masonic lodges.
The letter was published in English and German; for the reader’s convenience we provide below the complete text in translation:
Letter of the Nordic Episcopal Conference to parish priests
ON FREEMASONRY
29 June 2026
Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul
Dear brothers in the priesthood and in the pastoral care of souls:
Saint Paul offers valuable teaching to all who shepherd the People of God when he writes: “Proclaim the word; be persistent whether the time is favorable or unfavorable; convince, rebuke, and encourage with the utmost patience in teaching” (2 Tim 4:2).
For us bishops, this exhortation is further confirmed by the teaching of the Church, which calls us, as pastors, to “draw from the treasury of Revelation things new and old, making them bear fruit and vigilantly rejecting the errors that threaten their flock” (Lumen gentium, 25). Indeed, we are “bound to propose and explain to the faithful the truths of the faith that are to be believed and applied to moral life” (CIC, can. 386, §1).
We write to you at this time, as pastors, to clarify a question that for many years, if not decades, has generated uncertainty, speculation and divergent opinions in our countries: whether Catholic faithful may or may not be Freemasons or belong to a masonic lodge.
In light of the differences sometimes perceived among the various currents of Freemasonry, the idea spread in the Nordic countries that the Freemasonry of our countries would somehow be different, so that membership in a lodge could be permitted for Catholic faithful in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.
This assumption has given rise to numerous pastoral and sacramental questions.
It has caused anxiety and even considerable bewilderment in our local Churches, where many of our faithful come from countries in which the Church’s prohibition regarding Freemasonry is firmly established.
To clarify this matter, the Nordic Episcopal Conference held a meeting with superiors and officials of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith during the plenary assembly held in Rome from 1 to 5 September 2025.
The response of the Dicastery was absolutely clear.
On the basis of that response, and in order to share with all the faithful, and with you as their parish priests, that same clarity, we, the bishops of the Nordic Episcopal Conference, jointly declare and affirm:
1. There is no exception, no particular norm or provision, and consequently no dispensation in the Church that distinguishes membership in Freemasonry in the Nordic countries from the provisions of the universal law of the Church.
2. Therefore, the provisions of universal canon law and the specific norms and guidelines issued by the Holy See on the question of Freemasonry are fully applicable, without any exception, in the territory of the Nordic Episcopal Conference. The most recent guidance was offered by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith in the Note for the Audience with the Holy Father of 13 November 2023, which reaffirms the validity of the Declaration on Masonic Associations of 26 November 1983, published by the then Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
We wish to emphasize that the firmness of the Catholic Church regarding membership in Freemasonry does not constitute a negative judgment on the good will or good works of persons. The Church’s position arises from the conviction that the theological and philosophical principles of Freemasonry are incompatible with the full profession of the Catholic faith.
With this in mind, the following pastoral and sacramental provisions must be observed:
a) A Catholic who is at the same time a Freemason or member of a masonic lodge must be exhorted to abandon such membership.
b) A Catholic who is at the same time a Freemason or member of a masonic lodge must abstain from receiving Holy Communion and is forbidden to receive the other sacraments.
c) A Freemason or member of a masonic lodge who requests baptism in the Catholic Church or who wishes to enter into full communion with the Catholic Church as a validly baptized Christian must end such membership before receiving baptism or being received into full communion.
d) No parish, no institute of consecrated life or society of apostolic life, no organization or Catholic institution of our local Churches may establish agreements of collaboration with Freemasons or masonic lodges or make use of premises belonging to masonic lodges.
The application of these provisions will require patience, pastoral attention and delicacy. We invite you to study the official documents that explain the Church’s position so that you may present them with precision and fidelity.
We trust in your gifts and your experience, knowing that you will accompany with prudence, clarity of judgment and a pastoral heart those faithful who need to break their ties with Freemasonry and with masonic lodges.
The call of our Lord Jesus Christ: “Come, follow me,” presupposes the willingness to abandon other bonds that prevent full discipleship. This has always been, and will always remain, a criterion of Christian authenticity. Let us help one another, by word and example, to live according to this criterion, trusting in the grace of God.
With the assurance of our prayers for your ministry and for the faithful entrusted to your priestly care, we remain,
Yours in Christ,
+ Erik Varden, OCSO, President of the Nordic Episcopal Conference
Territorial Prelate of Trondheim
Apostolic Administrator of Tromsø
+ Raimo Goyarrola, Vice-President of the Nordic Episcopal Conference
Bishop of Helsinki
+ David Tencer, OFMCap
Bishop of Reykjavík
+ Cardinal Anders Arborelius, OCD
Bishop of Stockholm
+ Czeslaw Kozon
Bishop of Copenhagen
+ Fredrik Hansen
Bishop of Oslo
Sr. Anna Mirijam Kaschner, CPS
Secretary General