Mario Urquía (left) and the Grand Masonic Temple of Cuba (right)
Image © Collage Facebook/Mario Urquía - CiberCuba
Mario Alberto Urquía Carreño, the embattled Grand Master of the Gran Logio de Cuba (Grand Lodge of Cuba), has resigned following months of controversy and scandal. His resignation was officially tendered Sunday, August 18th after a contentious confrontation with representatives from more than 100 lodges on the island.
Carreño had already been removed from his office and expelled by the fraternity earlier this year in the wake of the disappearance of US$19,000 from the National Masonic Asylum's accounts, one of the principal charities of this grand lodge. He subsequently took his case before the Cuban Ministry of Justice, which decided to overrule the constitution and organizational authority of the grand lodge itself and ordered him reinstated. This unprecedented interference by the Cuban regime's judiciary also nullified the appointment of Juan Alberto Kessel Linares as Grand Master, as the Freemasons had overwhelmingly voted to do several months ago.
The resulting uproar by hundreds of Cuban Masons intensified and the story began to appear in the media over the summer. Carreño reacted against the protesters by arresting the charters of at least four Cuban lodges for failing to acknowledge his reinstatement, which only served to throw oil on the fire. When the story began to get independent media attention, the State Security officials of the Cuban Communist Party found it couldn't control the message any longer, and Carreño was compelled to call a special meeting last Sunday.
The Masons gathered in the theater of the Grand Lodge building, where an anonymous source consulted by the cited media described that Urquía intended to manipulate the attendees. However, the Masons present did not allow it, and the unanimous phrase heard was “hand it over and leave.”
One of the meeting's witnesses recounted that tensions escalated to the point where Urquía left the theater but was followed by the Masons to the eleventh floor, where his office is located.
Under the pressure of those present, the Grand Master agreed to meet with a representation of them. During two hours, the terms of his departure were negotiated, although the details of those conversations remain secret.
Finally, Mario Urquía agreed to resign, and Deputy Grand Master Maykel Filema was appointed in his place. Filema will have the task of calling for elections in the next High Chamber session, scheduled for September.
Urquía's resignation is seen as a victory by the Masons. The problems began with the mysterious theft of $19,000 from the Grand Master's office, an event that culminated in his expulsion from the Order.
Despite this, the Cuban Ministry of Justice, in an act of interference permitted by the country's laws, did not recognize the expulsion and reinstated Urquía in his position in less than three months. This led to a massive protest by Masons outside the Grand Master's office on July 23 and caused dozens of lodges to rebel.
In recent days, Mario Urquía spoke in a video explaining that the stolen money belonged to the National Masonic Asylum and addressed the accusations against him, including those of treason and theft. Urquía Carreño categorically denied being responsible for the theft and clarified that the police document he signed, committing to return the money, did not imply an admission of guilt.
He explained that the delay in returning the sum was due to the need to comply with Cuban laws, which require the reimbursement to be made in Cuban pesos (CUP), resulting in a considerable loss due to the disparity with the dollar's value in the informal market.
The Grand Master also questioned the initial communiqué issued by the National Masonic Asylum's Board, calling it “incriminatory.” He emphasized that he had already made a deposit of 270,000 CUP, equivalent to $1,000, as a sign of his commitment to return the funds. Despite his intention to remain in the position, Mario Urquía ultimately had to yield to the pressure to resign.“Before allowing the existing division to further harm the Institution and increase the attacks through social media, which would further denigrate the Grand Lodge of Cuba by its enemies, this Grand Master resigns for the good of the Institution,” Urquía Carreño stated in an official communiqué, as reported by the independent media outlet Cubanet.[snip]
Regarding the reasons for his resignation, Urquía Carreño indicated that there is “an incompatibility in criteria for the correct application and interpretation of our laws” within the Masonic institution, leading to “divided opinions in our Lodges regarding the correct procedures.”
He further lamented that “hatred and insults have erupted among brothers, forgetting that we swore to defend each other, present or absent. The institutional situation today shows a dire division. Some Masons' actions indicate a growing danger of confrontations, and we will not allow this to happen; misunderstanding has subjected our brothers.”
Tuesday, July 23, 2024 by Madison Pena
https://www.cubaheadlines.com/articles/285593
Four Masonic Lodges Suspended for Rejecting Grand Master Mario Urquía
Wednesday, July 31, 2024 by Alex Smith
https://www.cubaheadlines.com/articles/286112
Detained Masonic Leader Ángel Santiesteban-Prats Prior to Official Meeting in Havana
Thursday, August 1, 2024 by Emma Garcia
https://www.cubaheadlines.com/articles/286170
Monday, August 19, 2024 by Emma Garcia
No comments:
Post a Comment
ATTENTION!
SIGN YOUR NAME OR OTHERWISE IDENTIFY YOURSELF IN YOUR COMMENT POSTS IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A GOOGLE ACCOUNT.
Your comments will not appear immediately because I am forced to laboriously screen every post. I'm constantly bombarded with spam. Depending on the comments being made, anonymous postings on Masonic topics may be regarded with the same status as cowans and eavesdroppers, as far as I am concerned. If you post with an unknown or anonymous account, do not automatically expect to see your comment appear.