A Freemasonic newsletter published this account of a Mass offered for Amazonian Masons in the Archdiocese of Manaus cathedral in 2018

Anonymous Catholic

From El Oriente:

Mass for Masonry in Manaus 
 ” What unites us is much greater than what separates us .” That was the message of the Metropolitan Archbishop of Manaus, Monsignor Sergio Castrini, during the celebration in the Sagrada Familia del Tarumã church for the expansion of the improvement orders  dependent on the Grand Orient of Brazil , in friendship with the Grand Lodge of Spain . “ God is love and the way of knowledge is love. Love is always a response, mainly to God who first loved us. The cross that you carry on your insignia is the sign of God’s love for humanity “, explained the archbishop who concluded his homily with a request to the freemasons present, of Christian condition: ” We hope that you will always continue to provide these services to society and mainly by being faithful to Christian principles and communion with the Church, because the Church may be different on the surface .”

More on the Archbishop’s sermon was found here:

Archdiocese of Manaus, May 6, 2018 –“What unites us is much greater than what separates us. We are on the eve of Pentecost, whose theme is ‘In the power of the Spirit, we are all brothers and sisters’, which shows that what unites us is the Spirit of God. That was the message that the Metropolitan Archbishop of Manaus, Mgr Sergio Castrini, left during the celebration for the founding of the Templars and Priories of Malta of the Amazon Castelo de Tomar No. 61 and Rondonia Estrela de Porto Velho No. 62. The celebration took place on May 6 ppdo. in the Sagrada Familia del Tarumã church and was concelebrated by the parish priest, Fr. Charles Cunha, assisted by the deacon Messias Alencar.

” This day is a historical landmark that will remain in our hearts and makes it clear that we are Christians, we are Knights of Our Lord Jesus Christ and that we are servants of God “, said Jurimar Collares Ipiranga, Secretary of Education and Culture of the Grand Orient of Brazil (GOB) Amazon.

After the proclamation of the Gospel by Deacon Messias, Bishop Castrini began his homily by emphasizing God’s love for humanity: “ God is love and the way of knowledge is love. Love is always a response, mainly to God who first loved us. The cross that you wear on your insignia is the sign of God’s love for humanity «. Bishop Castrini, who also took the opportunity to speak about the true vocation of the laity, stated: « The Catholic Church is celebrating the Year of the Laity and the vocation of the laity is that: to be Salt of the Earth and Light of the World, in the family, at work and above all being a good citizen «.

The Archbishop concluded the homily by speaking of the journey of the Clergy to the Holy Land at the beginning of the year, where they visited the churches built by the Templars at the time of the Crusades and concluded with a request to the Masons: “ In his first reading, Peter discovers that pagans were also called to follow God. He made this discovery at Cornelio’s house and was very excited. It was a fundamental fact in the history of Christianity and many took time to understand that, when we stopped being a Jewish sect, we became a universal church. We hope that you will always continue to render these services to society and mainly to be faithful to Christian principles and to communion with the Church, because the Church may be different on the surface, but we are all united in Christ«.

According to Armando Corrêa Junior, Grand Master of the GOB Amazonas, the celebration broke a great paradigm and now the idea is to try to make the solemnity an annual tradition in the State of Amazonas. “ Yesterday we founded the Preceptorium and the Castelo de Tomar Priory, and we wanted to celebrate a mass of gratitude to God for that moment reached by the Freemasonry of the Amazon. We are very happy with the presence of Bishop Sergio who came personally to preside over this Mass and I have no words to thank and express emotion for the importance of this moment in which we have overcome a great paradigm. We intend to repeat this act in the coming years, but we depend on the archbishop, since the respect for the authority of Monsignor Sergio is 100% “, commented the Grand Master.