Why Does the Vatican Ban Catholics Joining the Masons?

Being a Mason and not a Catholic* I am confused by the ban on membership by the Vatican. The Masonic Order being an organization that promotes tolerance I find the ban by the Church strange. As a non-catholic it seems to me that Masonic teachings of morality, virtue, and charity are exactly the same as the Church.

While Masons are not required to believe in any particular religious dogma we are required to believe in a supreme being. If that takes the form of the Holy Trinity, no problem. The Masonic teachings and rituals do not try to supplant anyone's religious beliefs. We refer to the supreme being as the Grand Architect of the Universe which fits in with our use of the tools of the stone builders trade to teach moral values. As an architect is the overall guide to the construction of buildings, so is the Grand Architect of the Universe is our guide to building ourselves into better men.

Our oaths and obligations are worded to put the duty to family, religion, and country before any duty to the Masonic Order or our fraternal brothers. I would think that these declarations would not put us in conflict with any religion. Well at least any religion that allows for human free will and it is my belief that Catholics allow free will. Our secrets, there really are very few, are only related to keeping our meetings private, only allowing in those who have taken our oaths.

There are two topics forbidden in Masonic meetings, religion and politics. Religion because that is an individual choice and not to be scrutinized or criticized by anyone. Politics because not only is it a personal choice, it is a topic that inherently divides people. Our order strives for harmony and the discord that can be generated by talk of politics is the antithesis of that. Again this is not inherently against the Catholic teachings.

As an organization the Masons are about charity to others. We are about helping fellow Masons, their widows and orphans, and any less fortunate than ourselves. Some of the appendant bodies have more specific charities, for the Scottish Rite it is dyslexia, for the Shrine it is the hospitals for children. Again I don't see what issue the Vatican has against the Masons.

I am still left with the question why does the Vatican still feel that the Masons are a group that Catholics should not belong to?

* Just for full disclosure I have never been a christian. I am current either a deist or an agnostic though I was raised to believe in a specific religion. Growing up and living as a non-christian in a country where the majority is christian has given me a different perspective on things. The founding fathers of the United States were very careful not to promote any religion over any other, even though a majority were christian. This fact is lost on many people today.