The Case of Vatican Employee -- Msgr Weninger, Ex-Diplomat, Priest, Curia Official, Freemason

Book presentation with Msgr. Weninger on February 12 in Vienna; next to him Georg Semler, the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Austria, and on the far left the publisher Georg Löcker - fellow lodge brothers.

Von P. Paolo Maria Siano*

[Katholisches] In 1982 Michael Heinrich Weninger (born 1951 in Wiener Neustadt) joined the diplomatic service of the Republic of Austria, where he had a brilliant career. Among other things, he was from 1993 to 1997 head of the Austrian embassy in Belgrade and from 2008 to 2009 in Sarajevo. [1] Weninger, who has been a widower since 2009, was ordained a priest by Cardinal Christoph Schönborn in Vienna on June 24, 2011. Msgr. Weninger is also a member of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue.


In October 2014, the website of the East Lancashire Provincial Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons (English masonry was founded by the masters of the United Grand Lodge of England - UGLE) announced that a few days earlier, three ceremonies were held in Austria in the presence of an English Masonic delegation Installation by masters. The ceremonies took place in two boxes of the Mark Master Masons (MMM) [2] - in the St. Margaret's Lodge of MMM and the New Quarries Lodge of MMM, which is the oldest English-speaking Mark Master Mason Lodge in Austria - and in a Royal-Ark-Marine Lodge (RAM) held at the New Shores Lodge of RAM. [3] These three Austrian lodges with English names are associated with English Freemasonry and use rituals in English.

In each of these three lodges the "Brother" Msgr. Michael Weninger ("Bro. Rev. Michael Weninger") as chaplain for 2014–2015, who even celebrated a commemorative Mass on the fifth anniversary of the opening of the New Quarries Lodge and St. Margaret’s Lodge. 500 Freemasons of all obediences were present at the Mass. The Masonic website adds that “Bro. Rev. Michael ”(Bro. Stands for “brother ”, that's how the Freemasons call themselves) is well qualified for the position of lodge chaplain, since he lives in the Vatican and works as a member of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue:

"Since he lives in the Vatican as a member of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue but works in Rome."

Anyone who knows a little about Masonic matters knows that Msgr. Weninger, in order to be appointed chaplain of a lodge (or rather three lodges), had been initiated as a Mason of the first degree (apprentice) years before, then had to be transferred to the second degree (journeyman) before finally moving to the third degree, the master degree. Then he must have climbed to the higher grades, first as a master mason, then as a Royal Ark Mariner. It cannot be ruled out that he completed other “side degrees”.


It is therefore likely that Msgr. Weninger became a Mason even before he was ordained. I remember years ago someone mentioned the case of a former Austrian diplomat who had joined the Roman Curia as a priest and was considered a member of Freemasonry. It is only now that I have no doubt that this information is factual. And so we come to our days.

On Wednesday, February 12, 2020, Msgr. Michael Heinrich Weninger in Vienna in the presence of Georg Semler, Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Austria (GLvÖ), presented his 500-page book “Lodge und Altar. On the Reconciliation of the Catholic Church and Regular Freemasonry.” In it he claims (I summarize):

that the Church's rejection of Freemasonry was motivated more by political than religious reasons;
that the Church was unable to distinguish between regular and irregular Freemasonry;
that the freemasons of regular freemasonry (e.g. the UGLE, the GLvÖ etc.) are not excommunicated
and that you can be Catholic and “regular” Freemason.

Msgr. Weninger even sent his book to Pope Francis, Cardinal Schönborn and various Vatican figures. Grand Master Semler praised the book as an important step towards reconciliation between the Church and Freemasonry. [4]

The Freemasons and Msgr. Weninger hope to meet with the Holy Father or with the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. [5]

Dialogue with members of the Catholic hierarchy is not new to Austrian Freemasonry. From 1968 to 1983 the Archbishop of Vienna, Cardinal Franz König, was the protagonist of the dialogues with representatives of Austrian, Swiss and West German Freemasonry, which culminated in the 1970 Lichtenau Declaration in favor of the compatibility of the Catholic Church and regular Freemasonry. It states that the latter is not a danger, which is why excommunication should  be lifted.

Later, the German bishops in 1980 and the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in 1981 and 1983 reiterated the incompatibility between the church and the lodge, and that was not for political but for doctrinal reasons, after Masonic writings by members.

Another interesting novelty is that the book by Msgr. Weninger is based on his dissertation, which he submitted to the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, with which he received his doctorate and which was published by this university in November 2019. That is its title: “Wisdom. Strength. Beauty. On the reconciliation of the Catholic Church and regular Freemasonry, Tesi Gregoriana (Spiritualità series, 16), PUG 2019, p. 523.

The case of Msgr. Weninger raises a few questions and considerations:

1) Why did this website of the English masonry reveal the Masonic status of Msgr. Weninger, who is so well integrated into the Vatican? Was it an accidental carelessness or a clever display?

2) How long is Msgr Weninger's membership in Freemasonry in the Archdiocese of Vienna and the Roman Curia?

3) How is Msgr. Weninger's canonical position affected by his "coming out"?

4) How do Freemasonic prelates behave towards their subordinates who express amazement and concern about the affiliation of clerics and lay Catholics to Freemasonry?

5) Can the so-called "Masonic regularity" be a criterion for the canonical rehabilitation of Anglo-Saxon Freemasonry? In fact, I find a certain contradiction with the topic of “Masonic regularity.” For example, the United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE) recognizes the Grand Lodge of Austria (GLvÖ) as "regular", which in turn recognizes the Grand Orient of Italy (GOI) as "regular", which the UGLE does not recognize. Now, what credibility can the Grand Lodge of Austria claim before the Roman Curia, since it recognizes the Grand Orient of Italy as "regular", which is clearly a secular and esoteric Freemasonry with a long anti-clerical tradition?

6) Austrian Freemasonry wants a dialogue with the Pope, the Prefect of Faith and other personalities from the Vatican. Good. I hope, however, that the Austrian Freemasonry will not only talk to Msgr. Weninger's book, but also the rituals of the three degrees of apprentice, journeyman and master; the rituals of the high degree rites to which the masters of the Grand Lodges of Austria have access and the esoteric and initiatic writings that are reserved for the Masonic masters (there are, I know that very well).

Only careful review of such extensive documentation can enable ecclesiastical authorities and Catholic scholars to make a real and objective judgment about Freemasonry.

Finally, for reasons of space, I limit myself to this brief information: Regarding the English Master Mark Masonry (MMM)  and the Royal Ark Mariner (the RAM level is reserved for MMM), which is connected to the above-mentioned United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE) I know with certainty that even bricklayers of these degrees, who are apparently "biblical", are able to maintain esotericism. The same thing happens in Austrian Freemasonry. Therefore, the statements by Msgr. Weninger is anything but convincing.

* Father Paolo Maria Siano belongs to the Order of the Franciscans of the Immaculate (FFI); the church historian with a doctorate is considered one of the best Catholic experts in Freemasonry, to whom he has dedicated several standard works and numerous essays.


1] Delicate and responsible missions, since from 1991 to 1995 there was war in the crumbling Yugoslavia. This also applies to operations in Sarajevo, the formal capital of the EU protectorate of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the de facto capital of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in which Muslim Bosniaks and Catholic Croats have been united since 1996.

Austrian diplomacy emphatically supported this compulsory situation, as if trying to force “fraternity” in an experiment.

2]  The Mark Masonry originated in England in 1756. This makes the mark master degree one of the oldest freemason degrees. It was only introduced in Austria in 2009. 

[3] The Royal-Ark Mariner-Logen (RAM) and the Mark Master Masonry (MMM) are part of the Anglo-Saxon high degree system, with the RAM standing above the MMM. Both MMM and RAM degrees accept masters of all creeds, while certain obediences only allow "Trinitarian Christians".

 [4] The Grand Master said: "This book is very important. Even if there is practically no longer any conflict with the Church, we in the Grand Lodge have a vital interest in making a gesture of reconciliation. ”

 [5] A few days ago, the online Freemason encyclopedia Freemason Wiki published a detailed review of the Weninger book and the following note: "How important Weninger's book is taken internationally is shown by two events: Christoph Bosbach, Grand Master of the United Grand Lodges of Germany, on the book presentation" traveled specially from Catholic Cologne ". And more importantly, when the Pontifical Gregorian University learned of his research there, he explicitly encouraged the author to submit the book to her as a dissertation. The Gregoriana is run by Jesuits; the current Pope Francis is also one. "

Baron Yves Marsaudon: A High Ranking Freemason in the Order of Malta

Yves Marsaudon (1899-1985), High-Level Mason and Minister of the Order of Malta.

Edit: doing some housework as it were, and posting up some articles whose information didn't seem to get much circulation beyond Infowars and Alex Jones' resident Freemason, Leo Zagami., who discussed Msgr. Weninger. It sure looks like someone publicly declared that Masons aren't excommunicated and no one said anything about it after, at least not anyone in authority.

Update: Well, Complicit Clergy had an article up on him in February when this first came out., and this from a normie agglomerator site run by "academics".

by Father Paolo M. Siano FFI*

On 2 February 2017, the journalist Riccardo Cascioli summed up the contents of a letter from Pope Francis sent to Raymond Cardinal Burke, Patron of the Sovereign Order of Malta, on 1 December. In it, he issued "a call for vigilance against the affiliation of Members of the Order of Malta to Freemasonry and to take decisive action to stop those responsible for the distribution of contraceptives through aid programmes in poor countries." It seems that the letter does not speak directly of "freemasonry", but of "associations, movements and organizations that are against the Catholic faith or of relativistic imprint". Cascioli would do well to see at least an implicit reference to Freemasonry.

I was asked: "How is it possible for a Freemason to enter the Order of Malta?" I must confess that I have no further knowledge of the current situation in the Order of Malta, to which I wish in any case that they prosper in complete Catholic fidelity to their religious and charitable charism.

Yves Marsaudon, 1926 entry into the lodge, 1946 to the Order of Malta.

What I know with certainty, however, is that, in the distant past, some cases of dual membership in the Order of Malta and Freemasonry have become known. Probably the most sensational case was that of Baron Yves Marie Antoine Marsaudon (1899-1985). Important details to get to know his life and his thinking, are present in his books "L'Ocuménisme vu par un Franc-Maon de Tradition" (The Ecumenism from the Point of View of a Traditional Freemason, Editions Vitiano, Paris 1964), "De l'initiation masonnique l'orthodoxie chrétienne" (From the Masonic Initiation to Christian Orthodoxy, Dervy, Paris 1965) and "Souvenirs et Réflexions. Un Haut Dignitarie de la Franc-Ma'onnerie révéle des secrets" (Memories and Thoughts. A high dignitary of Freemasonry reveals secrets, Editions Vitiano, Paris 1976).

Growing up in a Catholic family, Yves is only vaguely a believer and at the age of 16-17 and falls into a philosophical and religious indifference. In 1926 he was accepted as a Freemason in the Grand Lodge of France (GLDF). At the time, he was a young entrepreneur who worked in trade with South America. In 1936 he received the 33rd and highest degree of the Old and Adopted Scottish Rite (AASR). In 1937 he became a member of the High Council, the highest authority of the AASR in France, to which the Grand Lodge is attached.

As a high-level Freemason, he turned his back on the Catholic Church and converted to the Orthodox Church in France. He described himself as a Freemason of the (Freemasonic) "tradition" and as a "spiritualist".

In 1964, the High Council of the Old and Adopted Scottish Rite (AASR) split. A group of 33rd-degree freemasons established a new High Council of the AASR for France and joined the Grande Loge Nationale Francoise (GLNF), the only Masonic obedience recognized as regular by English Freemasonry. Marsaudon 33° belongs to this group that crosses. Since this year, he has been a member of the new High Council of the GLNF. He is even (perhaps 1976 or earlier) appointed Sovereign Grand Comtur, the highest honorary officer of the High Council of the Old and Adopted Scottish Rite.

In 1946, at a time when Marsaudon was already a 33rd-grade Freemason, he joined the Sovereign Order of Malta. As Magistral Grand Cross Knight in gremio religionis, he was directly under the leadership of the Order in Rome. In the same year he became Extraordinary Envoy and Plenipotentiary Minister of the Order in France. He maintained close diplomatic contacts with the then Apostolic Nuncio in Paris, Monsignor Angelo Roncalli, the future Pope John XXIII and Saint. In 1951, after criticism of the "integralist party", as the staunch Freemason Marsaudon calls his critics of the Roman Curia, he resigned from his post as Plenipotentiary Minister of the Order of Malta, but remained its Emeritus Minister. This at least until 1976, the year in which his "memoirs" appear in book form (perhaps longer). In this book he revealed that he was not the only Masonic Knight of Malta.

Ecumenism from the point of view of a Freemason

Let's take a quick look at some of the ideas of the Freemason Marsaudon, which he presented in his books. In the aforementioned book of 1976, he describes himself as a pupil of the 33rd-grade Freemason, Oswald Wirth, whom he calls a "Great Initiate". Wirth (1860-1943) is an occult Freemason who had moved from the Grand Orient of France to the Grand Lodge (GLDF). In the same book by Marsaudon 33° there are various esoteric images typical of the books of his master Wirth. Marsaudon is convinced of the Templar and Rosicrucian roots of modern Freemasonry and claims that the Rosicrucian is "Christian" and "cabalistic". In his 1964 book, he praises the thinking of Teilhard de Chardin (p. 60).

Marsaudon writes that the Church is a "prisoner of dogmatic texts". To underline this assertion, he describes the situation of a remarried divorcee in a way that is as exaggerated as it is erroneous, but sentimental: "he must not be admitted to the sacraments and will die without absolution, unless he denies the mother of his children ...". Therefore Marsaudon justifies the divorce and cites as positive examples the Protestant "churches" and the Orthodox Church, while in the Roman Church he sees only dogmatic and inhuman intransigence (p. 63f).

Marsaudon despises the primacy of the Roman Pope and shares the view of André Gide (1869–1951), an aberrosexual Nobel prize winner from Calvinist upbringing: "What counts is not to be Catholic or Protestant, but simply to be a Christian".

Marsaudon makes fun of certain dogmas, such as Hell (p. 65). He rejects the dogma of the Immaculate Conception, as well as the mediation role of Mary and the infallibility of the Pope in matters of faith and morality (p. 85f)

Marsaudon sees ecumenism in the Masonic sense as over-dogmatic and relativistic. As late as 1976, he wished that Roman Catholicity would open up to the equality of all Christian denominations ... Marsaudon asserts that "the Orthodox Church is closest to the Gospels, while the Vatican must bow to Freemasonry and take a step towards rapprochement, not the other way around" (p. 363).

Marsaudon considers himself tolerant of philosophical and metaphysical questions. He lets a certain panvitalism seep through when he declares to respect every way of life (environment, oceans, plants, animals) because "life is one". He is against abortion, but accepts contraception. He also reveals esoteric convictions when he claims that the animals are our "unknown superiors", a term typical of the hierarchy of the esoteric movement of Martinism, and that "we must reclaim paradise on earth" (p. 380ff).

The Marsaudon case is indeed irritating: a 33rd-degree Freemason is granted admission to the Order of Malta and given a high dignity that guarantees him diplomatic immunity, while at the same time advocating divorce (and implicitly advocating Communion for the remarried divorcees, until he eventually even transitions to the Orthodox Church) and advocates contraception, which is anti-Catholic and anti-Roman , and who acts as an anti-dogmatic and relativistic ecumenist as well as an esoteric animal and environmentalist.

Whether there is anyone in the Order of Malta today who shares all or part of Marsaudon's heretical beliefs, I do not know. But even if this were the case, I would not be surprised by the current ecclesial situation.

*Father Paolo M. Siano is a priest of the Order of the Franciscans of immaculates. He is considered one of the best Catholic connoisseurs of Freemasonry.

Photo: Corrispondenza Romana

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

AMDG