Q: Recently I signed up for LinkedIn. All the people who I connected with are co-workers. One of them had a symbol where his picture would normally go. I did not check it before linking. Upon checking, I found that it’s a symbol of Freemasonry. Am I safe staying linked or should I delete this link? I know as Catholics we are not supposed to have anything to do with Freemasonry. – K.H.
Answered by Fr. Edward McIlmail, LC A: While Catholics can’t join the Masons (their doctrines are incompatible with Church doctrine), we aren’t banned totally from interacting with them. We live in the world where we often interact with people whose beliefs differ radically from ours. The owner of that gas station where you fill up might be a Muslim. Your ophthalmologist might be a New Ager. Your car mechanic might be a Jehovah’s Witness. The barista at your coffee shop might be a Wiccan. The key question in your case is: Are you signaling support for Freemasonry by being linked in with co-worker? Would people perceive you as supporting the Masons? Perhaps not, but you would need to decide. People post all kinds of images on their media platforms. If we have a serious reason for connecting them, we need not avoid interacting with them totally.
