April 2012

Sunday 29 April 2012

Alain Juillet was elected Grand Master of the recently formed Grand Lodge of the Masonic French Alliance


More then 1000 Brethren gathered at the De Vinci Conference Centre auditorium to form a new French Grand Lodge. Brethren from France, the Carribean, Réunion Island and also English Brethren attended at the controversial foundation of the Grande Loge de l'Alliance Française Maçonnique, most of them initiated in the GLNF.


Alain Juillet was elected as Grand Master and Charles Tordjman as Assistant Grand Master. The three Lodges which are to be known as the mother Lodges of this new Masonic obedience are: L’Anglaise #204, La Persévérance Ecossaise and Théba.


Tuesday 17 April 2012

Monday 16 April 2012

GLNF & IMC in Latin America | A short analysis


There was no doubt that the future of the IMC will change and it did. Last weekend the leaders of the largest Masonic organization in Latin America gathered in Brasilia to make a new step in their evolution as a 21st century Masonic body. There were surprises, but good ones.

Hosting IMC's General Assembly, the Grand Orient of Brazil (vanguard of Latin American Freemasonry as stated by APMR's Secretary-General) presides now the Inter-American Masonic Confederation together with Peru which has the Executive Secretariat.


Nothing unusual until now but... looking closer to what happened in Brazil we could say that the tow most important seats belong now to IMC's 6th Zone/Area composed of Brazil (Grand Orient of Brazil), Paraguay (Symbolic Grand Lodge of Paraguay), Argentina (Grand Lodge of Argentina), Chile (Grand Lodge of Chile), Uruguay (Grand Lodge of Freemasonry of Uruguay), Bolivia (Grand Lodge of Bolivia). Portugal (Regular Grand Lodge of Portugal) and Spain (Grand Lodge of Spain).

APMR followed closely the Masonic events in Brasilia and was the first in announcing the results of the election process. Remains now to see when they will publish the Charter of Brasilia.

Continuing our analysis we want to stress that for the GLNF there are no bad news, at least not regarding the Report of the IMC (former) Executive Secretary, Guatemala's PGM. Stifani was Vice-president of IMC's 2nd Zone/Area until recently and his efforts in trying to organize a regional General Assembly in Guadeloupe failed due to GLNF's internal problems.

The new board of the IMC will have now a hard task in trying to repair all broken things in Paraguay, Bolivia, Ecuador and most probably also in Mexico and Cuba and to motorize what happens in France. But surely with the diplomacy of the new Executive Secretary and with the administrative experience of the new President the IMC will manage to bring light regarding the stability and sustainable development of the Inter-American Masonic Confederation.


We thank APMR's Secretariat General for the information provided.


The famous Anglaise #204 Lodge leaves GLNF for a new French Grand Lodge



If for decades Italy's Masonic panorama was the most colorful and burlesque of all Europe it now seems that France, already in top 10, will take the lead. The famous Anglaise #204 Lodge leaves GLNF for a new French Grand Lodge (aka Grande Loge de l’Alliance Maçonnique Française) to be consecrated on 28 April 2012 by... no one (theoretically, until now, there was no official document announcing the three Grand Lodges which will consecrate the new Masonic body).

Even though all this, the Supreme Council for France, through the voice of its Sovereign Grand Commander (US South Jurisdiction affiliation) stated recently that this new Grand Lodge has the authority to ask for recognition.


In a week we will see what happens and this summer we will see if GLNF's Annual Communication will ratify Stifani's new mandate as Grand Master of the French National Grand Lodge. Until that moment there will be a lot of changes.


Monday 9 April 2012

Will the Regular Freemasonry in Latin America have a new horizon after the election of its new leader?


As stated by APMR's Secretary General three years ago (and recently by Retiz Licona, running for IMC's Executive Secretary) the Brazilian Freemasonry transformed itself to be the vanguard of Regular Latin American Freemasonry. This year Brazil will host one of the most important Masonic events that could launch Latin American Brethren into a new era by deciding on their new leader and therefore a new policy.


During the campaign APMR published two interviews with PGM Hernando Osorio Rico (Colombia) and PGM Eduardo Retiz Licona (Mexico), both running for IMC's leadership. After it was leaded by a Central American Brother (Guatemala) now the Grand Masters of all member Grand Lodges will chose between a North American (Mexico) and a South American (Colombia) Brother to lead the future of the Inter-American Masonic Confederation.

It's hard to say who will win but the stakes are high. We have analyzed both interviews granted to APMR's Secretary General and we tried to have the official opinion of the Secretary General but he politely refused us by saying that "I can not say that if a candidate or other will be the future Executive Secretary due to our neutrality policies. What I can say is that if Hernando or Eduardo will be appointed as IMC's Executive Secretary I will be the first in extending my hand for promoting future IMC projects."

Both candidates have a more human vision of Freemasonry and a more interactive one with the profane world and with local, national and Inter-American authorities. Both have close ties with North American Brethren and they are well-known in their national Masonic communities, both leading until a few years ago the most emblematic Grand Lodges in their countries.

There are also rumors on both sides saying that the vote of each Latin American Grand Master could change in the following days and that the general impact could create some misunderstandings, being for the first time in its 65 years of existence when the candidates for IMC's leadership granted public interviews and talked publicly about their government programs. By this not only the Grand Masters of each country but also all Brethren were able to see their type of speech, their vision and type of understanding the role of Freemasonry in the future of Latin American history and that of the 21st century Freemasonry.


Saturday 7 April 2012

Thursday 5 April 2012

GLNF | France's Sovereign Grand Commander slams Stifani's reelection as Grand Master by the Sovereign Grand Committee


Yesterday the Supreme Council for Frances issued a Masonic document (SGC 2012-04-26) signed by Jean Luc Fauque, SGC and member of the United Grand Lodge of England. According to the mentioned document Fauque states:

"Loyal to its commitments the Supreme Council for France of Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite has closely followed the recent events within the French National Grand Lodge. François Stifani was appointed by the Sovereign Grand Committee as the candidate for Grand Master. Until this decision will not be ratified or rejected by the General Assembly on June 23, 2012, GLNF will not find the serenity needed for its spiritual works. Its future is uncertain and the necessary reforms are not implemented.

French justice and the Brothers of the Sovereign Grand Committee so decide and we must take note of it. Under these conditions, the process of withdrawal of recognition from foreign Grand Lodges can only accelerate and the French National Grand Lodge will probably be banned from regular recognized Freemasonry.

(...)

The project was finalized recently giving birth to the Grand Lodge French Masonic Alliance (GL-FMA) which will be consecrated by its founding Masonic Lodges on April 28. This fully sovereign Obedience will enable all members to practice the three regular symbolic degrees recognized in all the rites of Universal Freemasonry.

Created regularly and respecting the criteria of regular Freemasonry, the GL-FMA is a regular Masonic body. As such, it can legitimately request recognition of foreign regular Grand Lodges in the Masonic world of both hemispheres."


Wednesday 4 April 2012

The unthinkable happens: the Masonic trend that began in Western Europe seems to be gaining more ground in Eastern Europe


The Grand Lodge of Ukraine, established a few years ago by the French National Grand Lodge decided to break relations with GLNF on April 1, 2012. According to Decree No. 40 of March 31, 2012, Grand Master Ihor Yukhimovych decided to suspend relations, citing "the threat that GLNF represent retarding the authority of Freemasonry in Europe."


Tuesday 3 April 2012

Monday 2 April 2012

APMR | Gustavo Raffi: Freemasonry provides a concrete space to form and to experience the new sense of belonging to Italy and Europe


According to APMR's latest edition, the conclusion of the most important annual meeting of the Grand Orient of Italy is that citizen must be at the heart of the action or, as Raffi said: "Beyond the crisis and small ideas, we look forward and we want to contribute to an Italy that does not give resignation, but knows how to design its own future (...) Freemasonry provides a concrete space to form and to experience the new sense of belonging to Italy and Europe."