Priest in trouble over Freemasonry

The BBC has the following report of an issue in France involving the Catholic Church and Freemasonry.

Pic caption: Father Pascal Vesin is seen outside his church in Megeve on Friday

A Roman Catholic parish priest at an elite French ski resort has been stripped of his Church functions for refusing to renounce Freemasonry.

Father Pascal Vesin was ordered by his bishop to cease his work in the Alpine resort of Megeve, the parish said.

Bishop Yves Boivineau had warned Fr Vesin about his "active membership" of the Grand Orient de France lodge.

Freemasonry has been condemned as anti-Christian and anti-clerical by various popes through history.

Bishop Boivineau ordered the priest to cease his functions "at Rome's request", the parish said.

In March, the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith - effectively the Church's watchdog - asked for the priest's departure.

Three members of the diocese of Annecy then met him but Fr Vesin said he would not leave the lodge.

A statement from the diocese quoted by Le Figaro newspaper stressed that the penalty imposed on the Freemason priest was not final and could yet be lifted because "mercy goes hand in hand with truth".

Fr Vesin has been parish priest of Sainte-Anne d'Arly Montjoie in Megeve since 2004, according to another French newspaper, Le Messager.

In an interview in January, he set out liberal views of the Church's role. He said he favoured allowing some priests to marry and said he had refused to endorse a demonstration against same-sex marriage in Paris.

Conspiracy theories and controversy have dogged the Freemasons throughout their existence, fuelled by their secretive image, though for some they are just a gentleman's club devoted to charitable giving.

Victoria Cross

This object featured in the latest edition of the Knole News - the newsletter for Masons meeting at The Knole in Bournemouth, Dorset, where there is a splendid museum. Here follows the article about it.

Probably our most prized jewel is a Founders jewel from Hope Chapter No.2153 which meets at
Horndean, Hants and IOW. It belonged to Norman Finch VC. He won his decoration at the Battle of
Zeebrugge in 1918 which cost the lives of 188 men and 384 wounded. This action was so heroic
that the War Office decided to award a VC but were unable to select the actual recipient. Most
unusually, they decided to ask the survivors themselves to ballot and Norman Finch won by a large
majority for his action, when despite being seriously wounded himself, he continued to man the
surviving machine gun under enemy fire thus saving many lives until his gun was hit and put out of
action. He was further honoured by being invited to be a member of the burial party at the interment
of the Unknown Soldier at Westminster Abbey in 1919. This jewel was loaned to the Grand Lodge
Museum for inclusion in the exhibition “Most Glorious of them All” in January 2006 where it was one of very few genuine Masonic artefacts associated with a winner of the VC on display at the
Exhibition.