Here we go again....Catholics cannot join the world's largest secret society

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Vatican reaffirms 'grave sin' of Freemasonry, says Catholics cannot join the world's largest secret society

The Vatican's Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) has reaffirmed the Catholic Church's teachings that laity or clerics participating in Freemasonry are in "a state of grave sin."

The DDF released the Nov. 13 document to the public with the signatures of Pope Francis and the DDF Prefect Cardinal Victor Fernández, urging the faithful not to participate in or affiliate with Freemasonry groups.

"On the doctrinal level, it should be remembered that active membership in Freemasonry by a member of the faithful is forbidden because of the irreconcilability between Catholic doctrine and Freemasonry," the document reads, citing the 1983 "Declaration on Masonic Associations" by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who would go on to become Pope Benedict XVI.

Freemasonry, the world's largest secret society with millions of members scattered across almost every country in the world, established its first Grand Lodge in England in 1717.

The society swears oaths of secrecy, fellowship and fraternity among members and has accumulated a vast catalog of rituals, ceremonial attire and secret signals between masons. These aesthetic affectations often use Christian imagery despite being used for non-Christian rituals.