QUARTERLY COMMUNICATION
12 September 2012
Statements by The President of the Board of General Purposes and The Grand Chancellor concerning Grande Loge Nationale Française (GLNF)
12 September 2012
Statements by The President of the Board of General Purposes and The Grand Chancellor concerning Grande Loge Nationale Française (GLNF)
The President of the Board of General Purposes, RW Bro Anthony Wilson:
MW Pro Grand Master and Brethren,
I believe that there is nothing in the Board’s Report that calls for
comment, except for the paragraphs relating to the National Grand Lodge
of France, and even they are largely self-explanatory. Since this Grand
Lodge suspended relations with the GLNF twelve months ago the Board has
continued to monitor the situation. It is clear that the GLNF is not in
full control of its own affairs. For well over a year its administration
and finances have been under the control of a Court appointed
administrator, Maitre Legrand. She, although not a Freemason or a member
of the GLNF, is currently organising the nominations for and election
of a new Grand Master.
To complicate matters further, we understand that at the end of April
a group of members of the GLNF and their Lodges broke away and formed a
new Grand Lodge which now claims over 10,000 members and more than 500
Lodges. It has just been announced that a further group has broken away
and is intent on forming yet another Grand Lodge. It is, therefore,
becoming impossible to know who are and who are not bona fide members of
the GLNF, which at this moment remains the only Grand Lodge in France
recognised by this Grand Lodge.
The Board is aware that, if its recommendation is accepted by Grand
Lodge, a number of our members who have joint memberships will need to
decide with which constitution they will remain. The Board regrets this
but it has a duty to have regard to the best interests of the whole
English Craft and in the present circumstances believes those interests
will be best served by withdrawing recognition from the GLNF. One
hundred years ago members of this Grand Lodge were materially involved
in the formation of the GLNF and the return of regular Freemasonry to
France: for this and other reasons, the Board’s recommendation was not
reached lightly but only after considerable discussion and consultation.
It is important to emphasise that in making this recommendation the
Board is not stating that the GLNF or its members are in any way
irregular, nor will the withdrawal of recognition of itself make them
so. They will, however, become unrecognised though capable of being
re-recognised at some future point. For that reason the Board has not
entered into discussion with any of the other bodies claiming to
represent regular Freemasonry in France nor does it have any intention
at the present time of recommending to this Grand Lodge the recognition
of any other Grand Lodge in France.
Indeed, we have just learnt that in the last few days a candidate for
the Grand Mastership has been nominated. His name will go forward for
approval by a General Meeting of the GLNF. The Board will continue to
monitor events in France and hopes that this may be the first step – and
I emphasise the words “the first step” - towards normalising relations
between our two Grand Lodges. In the meantime, however, this event does
not change the Board’s recommendation to withdraw recognition.
The Grand Chancellor, VW Bro Derek Dinsmore:
MW Pro Grand Master and Brethren,
In moving the resolution standing in my name at item 3 of the Paper
of Business may I add to the President’s comment on the regularity of
the GLNF. Although it has serious internal problems we believe that the
Lodges and members of the GLNF are working in a regular manner.
Withdrawal of recognition will not of itself affect the GLNF’s
regularity and it will be capable of re-recognition. There is a long
established, fundamental principle of Masonic international relations
that where Freemasonry exists within a territory, whether or not it is
formally recognised, that territory is closed to other Grand Lodges, and
the latter should not set up lodges there. Despite the growing number
of Grand Lodges which are withdrawing recognition from the GLNF, France
remains closed territory and this Grand Lodge would not look kindly on
any other Grand Lodge which attempted to invade French territory by
setting up Lodges there or taking into its jurisdiction Lodges warranted
by the GLNF.
MW Pro Grand Master and Brethren, for the reasons given in the Report
of the Board of General Purposes, I move that recognition of be
withdrawn.
Grand Lodge subsequently voted to approve the motion that recognition be withdrawn from the Grande Loge Nationale Française (GLNF) with immediate effect.
Fonte: freemasonrytoday
