June 2013

Thursday 27 June 2013

Romanian Ambassador to the European Union receives prize from the Romanian Freemasonry


As presented last week by the Masonic Press Agency, the Romanian Ambassador to the European Union received a prize from the Romanian Freemasonry for his diplomatic activity in 2012.


Mihnea Motoc was born on 11 November 1966 in Bucharest. He is fluent in English and French. He is married to Iulia Motoc with whom he has one son, Luca-Mihnea. Motoc has been a Romanian diplomat since the early 1990s, when he joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania. For most of the 1990s Motoc spent time in various Romanian government posts. He joined the United Nations in 2003, where he spent five years working as the Permanent Representative of Romania. In 2008 he left the UN to become the Permanent Representative of Romania to the European Union.

Motoc studied law at the University of Bucharest from 1984 until 1989. Following this he went on to achieve a Certificate of post-graduate studies in Private International Law from the University of Nice in 1991 and a Master's Degree in Public International and Comparative Law from George Washington University a year later.

Monday 24 June 2013

222 years marking the birth of the African Grand Lodge of North America


Today marks 222 years since the foundation of the African Grand Lodge of North America. On 24 June 1791 was founded the Grand Lodge of what we now call Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Massachusetts. The name of "Prince Hall"was given in memory of its Most Worshipful Grand Master, Brother Prince Hall (1735-1807).


Prince Hall was an African American noted as a tireless abolitionist, for his leadership in the free black community in Boston, and as the founder of Prince Hall Freemasonry. Hall tried to gain New England’s enslaved and free blacks a place in Freemasonry, education and the military, which were some of the most crucial spheres of society in his time. Hall is considered the founder of “Black Freemasonry” in the United States, known today as Prince Hall Freemasonry. Hall formed the African Grand Lodge of North America. Prince Hall was unanimously elected its Grand Master and served until his death in 1807.  He lobbied for education rights for black children and was active in the back-to-Africa movement. Many historians regard Prince Hall as one of the prominent African-Americans during the early years of the United States.

Wednesday 19 June 2013

European AASR Supreme Councils united within the newly created Confederation of European Supreme Councils


An important event marked by the action of several European Sovereign Grand Commanders gathers now, with a common purpose, AASR bodies of Central, Western and Southern Europe. We are talking about the newly created Confederation of European Supreme Councils.


According to the Masonic Press Agency: 

The creation of the Confederation of European Supreme Councils represent a significant action of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite in Europe, one of the highlights since the 1875 Congress of Lausanne and until now. The new structure is committed in bringing together the European Supreme Councils, organize regular events, promote the primacy of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite and the sovereignty of the Supreme Councils, promote cooperation etc.

Also the same source announces that:

The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of countries such as France (Jean-Luc FAUQUE, President), Germany (Eberhard DESCH, Vice President) and Romania (Constantin IANCU, Secretary-General), together with Switzerland, Spain, Italy, Greece and Portugal, engages in a project designed to support the European and Masonic ideas and values at a continental level​​.

As we can see, the three main offices are held by France, Germany and Romania, all of them members of the European Union. According to the statement issued by the AASR Grand Commanders of the 8 European countries: "The Confederation of European Supreme Councils is committed (among others) to the principles and motivations that led to the creation of the first Supreme Council of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite in 1801."


Thursday 13 June 2013