Freemasons For Dummies: France Continues to Lose Recognition

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

France Continues to Lose Recognition

More cheery news for the embattled Grande Loge Nationale Française this past week. Grand Lodges in New York, Poland, Bulgaria, Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg and Switzerland have all withdrawn recognition of the GLNF in the wake of the recent reelection of Grand Master François Stifani.

The GLNF is quickly spiraling into a situation that will be hard to recover from, in terms of international recognition, as well as internal turmoil. Even if efforts to organize a new grand lodge in France succeed, recognition of a new GL takes lots of time, leaving one of Europe's most populous nations without regular, recognized Freemasonry for the short term future.

For now, Stifani seems hell bent on allowing the GLNF to completely crumble under his leadership. That's a terrible situation for the brethren of France to find themselves in. What's amazing is that he can find anyone to follow him down that path.

7 comments:

M. SmithTue Jun 12, 04:00:00 PM 2012
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M. SmithTue Jun 12, 04:06:00 PM 2012
I was incorrect in my last post, it should have said...
The greatest of endeavors are only diminished by one's Pride, rarely by one's efforts.

Mark Smith
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M. SmithTue Jun 12, 04:08:00 PM 2012
The greatest of endeavors are usually diminished by one's Pride, rarely by one's efforts.

Mark Smith
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47th Problem of EuclidFri Jun 15, 10:21:00 AM 2012
I believe that the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts in its Quarterly session this week decided to continue to withdraw recognition of the GNLF and to open up an investigation to consider offering recognition to the GLdF instead.
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UnknownFri Jun 15, 11:17:00 AM 2012
The GL of Washington also suspended recognition last weekend.
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UnknownFri Jun 15, 11:19:00 AM 2012
The GL of Washington also suspended recognition last weekend. But we recognized the MWPHGL of Alaska and the GL of Albania...
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Nick ThompsonSun Jun 17, 06:18:00 AM 2012
You missed Germany from the list of Grand Lodges that have Withdrawn Recognition but (prematurely) included Bulgaria which hasn’t (yet) made a move.

As I understand it, Grand Lodges can either ‘Suspend Relations’ the course UGLE, & most of the US Grand Lodges did last year or ‘Withdraw Recognition’ a much more serious move, which the 6 European Grand Lodges did last week.

Again as I understand it, the GLoF is unlikely to receive international recognition because of their policy of not insisting that members believe in a ‘Supreme being’

As a member of a GLNF Lodge, your last paragraph is unfortunately, so very true, most of us just don’t understand it.
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