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Dear Coleus,

"But once again, mass hysteria is the rule. The good father misinformed the questioner. The ceremony at a funeral is a very PUBLIC one, no secrets and nothing supernatural."

I suppose that you're responding to the information given by Fr. William Smith at the link provided by CG in post 44.

I think that you misread Fr. Smith's response. He didn't say that the masonic funeral rituals were secret, or were supernatural. He said that it is likely that they didn't occur DURING a Catholic funeral, but rather, likely took place AFTER the Catholic services were completed, at the gravesite.

He said that only masons could engage in the actual ritual, not that the ritual was secret.

He said that masonry forbids the performance of the ritual during the religious services of another religion.

Where is Fr. Smith in error?

sitetest

Masons do not have ceremonies by the gravesites. Funerals are during the day when many masons are working, they offer a small ceremony, yes by masons, just like the 4th degree of the Knights of Columbus do with their brothers, at the wake by the casket. There are no Masonic pall bearers at funerals for masons just like there are no 4th Degree Knights as pall bearers either. They wouldn't have any jobs if they took days off to carry coffins. As a matter of fact, I have never been to a funeral where the pall bearers were other than the employees of the funeral parlor. It would look like a circus to have it any other way and you have to be trained to carry and to know when and where to move it.

I was throwing in some comments which I've read on other threads, re: secret rituals, etc. I'm just tired of seeing people throwing in these false allegations about bishops and priests being masons without any evidence.

And I think the person asking the question was asking a loaded question. I don't think any priest in the USA would allow masons to pose as pallbearers (and once mass starts, what do you expect a priest to do, have them drop the casket on the floor and leave?)and no bishop has joined a masonic lodge to my knowledge. And once again, show me something (anything, a picture, an envelope with the lodge stationary and the bishops name on it) where a priest or bishop is a member.