Is a Catholic Funeral for a Freemason Permissible? Three Recent Cases, Two Types of Responses

(ZENIT News / Paris, 09.10.2026).- In early August 2026, two Italian Bishops refused, one after the other, to celebrate Catholic funerals for public figures who openly belonged to Freemasonry. 

Two weeks later, a French Archbishop officiated at a Catholic funeral  ceremony for a former senator who was a declared Freemason. These represent two different, even opposing, stances regarding Catholic funerals for Freemasons.

These events are a source of deep concern for the faithful and could also offer the universal Church an opportunity to delve further into the matter, with the aim of achieving greater unity in the decisions made by local Ordinaries. 

The first case concerns Cardinal Baldassare Reina, Vicar General of the Diocese of Rome and Archpriest of the Lateran Basilica, who on August 7 refused to celebrate a Catholic funeral for the artist Bruno Battisti D’Amario, a renowned guitarist known for being a prominent member of Italian Freemasonry. However, a private religious service was held with the family in the presence of a priest, though without a liturgical celebration.

«The Church cannot transform mercy into indifference toward the truth.» The following day, Bishop Antonio Suetta of Ventimiglia-San Remo, Italy, also cancelled the Catholic funeral scheduled for a Freemason from his diocese. He cited Canon 1184 of the Code of Canon Law, which allows the refusal to hold a religious funeral in certain cases, even if the term «Freemason» is not specifically mentioned.

Membership in Freemasonry has been prohibited by the Catholic Church since 1738. Bishop Suetta also referred to the declaration by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, published in November 1983 upon the entry into force of the new Code of Canon Law.

Signed by the future Pope Benedict XVI and approved by Saint John Paul II, this text dispelled all ambiguity: «Therefore, the Church’s negative judgment regarding Masonic associations remains unchanged, because their principles have always been considered irreconcilable with the Church’s doctrine. The faithful who belong to Masonic associations are in a state of grave sin and cannot receive Holy Communion.»

This stance was reaffirmed in November 2023 by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández emphasized that «persons who are formally and consciously enrolled in Masonic lodges and who have adopted Masonic principles are subject to the provisions of the 1983 declaration by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. This provision also applies to clergy who are members of Freemasonry.»

The Bishop of Ventimiglia-San Remo added that the incompatibility between the Catholic faith and Freemasonry has clear consequences for funerals. He reaffirmed that it is permissible to deny a Catholic funeral to a Freemason, an action that in no way constitutes a judgment on the deceased’s eternal destiny. He also declared that «the Church cannot transform mercy into indifference toward the truth.» «One cannot serve two masters.» A very different case occurred on August 25, when the Archbishop of Dijon, Msgr. Antoine Hérouard, presided over the funeral of Senator François Pariat — a French politician who never hid his membership in Freemasonry –, at the collegiate church of Notre-Dame de Semur-en-Auxois.

However, the Archbishop did not celebrate Mass in the strict sense, contrary to reports by most media outlets, a fact confirmed by the Diocese of Dijon. Archbishop Hérouard simply presided over a ceremony without a Eucharistic celebration, in the presence of numerous political figures, including Freemasons and, notably, President Emmanuel Macron.

This decision rests on the personal judgment of the Archbishop in this specific case. We do not know the spiritual journey of the deceased, nor his final thoughts or actions. We can only hope that this ceremony served, in one way or another, to open the hearts of those present and inspire true conversion, or at least the beginning of reflection. Requesting a Catholic liturgy for the funeral of a loved one who was a Mason, even without the Eucharist, cannot be a trivial matter; it calls the deceased’s family to truth and consistency. May this celebration also have led everyone to reflect on Jesus’ clear words in the Gospel: «You cannot serve two masters» (Luke 16:13).