Cuban Government Places Disgraced Past Grand Master Back In Charge. . . Again

by Christopher Hodapp

(For MUCH more background on this continuing story, see Cuban Freemasons Oust Grand Master in Called Session on May 29th.)

The government of Cuba has forced the Grand Lodge of Cuba to violate its own internal rules in order to re-install their former Grand Master, Mario Alberto Urquía Carreño (photo above). He had been forced to resign a year ago, put back into the job by order of the government's Ministry of Justice, and was removed yet again as the head of the order by the members off Grand Lodge in May, but the government has taken the unprecedented step of interfering with the fraternity yet again, putting their handpicked administrator back in the Grand East. 

Carreño was accused last year of embezzling almost US$19,000 from the Grand Lodge, and stealing another US$20,000 in cash from an office safe. When he resigned, he named his own successor, Mayker Filema Duarte, who was seen by the rank and file Cuban Masons as just another government informer. Duarte was supposed to hold elections on May 25th, but canceled their grand session, suspended elections until further notice, and locked the brethren out of their downtown Havana headquarters.

In protest, 120 Cuban Masons held an impromptu Grand Lodge session on the sidewalk outside, ousting Duarte and naming the then-current Deputy Grand Master Juan Alberto Kessel Linares as the new sitting Grand Master until a called meeting for general elections can be held in September. 

The massive Grand Lodge of Cuba building in Havana is a
prominent city landmark (although it's filled with government
offices that far outnumber Masonic lodge rooms and offices).

Now the government's Ministry of Justice has stepped in once more and demanded Mario Alberto Urquía Carreño be put back in as Grand Master again.

From the English language Cuba Headlines website on June 18th:

The Cuban government's reinstatement of Mario Alberto Urquía Carreño as Grand Master of the Supreme Council and the Grand Lodge has ignited a wave of discontent among Cuban Freemasons. Urquía Carreño was reinstated by the Ministry of Justice's Directorate of Associations (MINJUS), bypassing the majority's decision to reject him following accusations of embezzling $19,000 from his office earlier this year and other actions deemed "high treason" by the Masonic community.

"The Freemasons do not accept Urquía; many lodges will decide not to recognize him and will notify the MINJUS Register of Associations," a Masonic source who wished to remain anonymous told the independent outlet Cubanet. The same source added that there is "a lot of confusion but unanimous feeling of rejection."

The Freemasons appear determined to step down from their positions if the Grand Master does not resign. Others plan to gather in large numbers at the Grand Lodge building to protest and demand Urquía's removal, according to Cubanet.

One such individual is Master Karel Miralles Sánchez, who staged a sit-in at the Grand Lodge of Cuba as a form of protest, asking for Urquía to submit a formal signed resignation. "I am not calling for anything or anyone; I am driven by a personal situation, exercising my right to protest, one of the first rights conferred upon me when I joined this august institution," he stated in a video.

Another source interviewed by Cubanet argued that "if the majority of Freemasons decide we do not want him, he should step down. If MINJUS thinks this is not the correct way to expel him, we will repeat the process immediately." They added that "an overwhelming majority does not wish for him to continue leading our fraternity, as he is materially and morally responsible for the loss of funds donated to aid brethren in distress. Nothing imposed works in a democratic system like ours."

Echoing this sentiment, another Freemason accused the State Security of being behind the situation, suggesting that "they are playing with fire. This might be the push we Freemasons need to finally take the lead in the changes Cuba requires."

Several employees of the Grand Lodge of Cuba have resigned in protest, according to Cubanet. In March, Urquía Carreño was expelled from the semiannual session of the High Chamber.

 

That the Cubans' Marxist dictatorship even permits Freemasonry to openly operate, hold its own elections, and function as a charitable fraternal organization is remarkable among Communist regimes throughout the world. Such governments overwhelmingly distrust Freemasonry because of its reputation for secrecy. After all, you can't prevent an uprising by the Bougies and the Proles if they're going to be members of secret societies, exchanging secret handshakes, baking up black market meat loaf dinners, and telling private dictator jokes in lodge.

"Knock knock!" 

"Who's there?" 

"WE ASK THE QUESTIONS!"

So how did Cuban Freemasons avoid the firing squads under Castro and his successors? The story goes that Marxist revolutionary Fidel Castro and his brother Raoul were hidden and given aid and support by Freemasons during their revolution in 1959 against the Batista government. When Castro seized power, he praised the Masons and gave them the rare consent to keep their lodges and organization intact. 

It's hard to say where all this is headed, but it's been more than half a century since a grateful Fidel Castro clutched the Cuban Freemasons to his heaving bosom and gave them his blessing. The island's present regime may not be so loving anymore.

Cuban Freemasons Oust Grand Master in Called Session

Grand Lodge of Cuba in Havana

by Christopher Hodapp

The Grand Lodge of Cuba is in what the English used to call a right old bloody mess. First, their former Grand Master, Mario Alberto Urquía Carreño, was arrested last September under accusations of fraud, in collaboration with the former Grand Treasurer, Airam Cervera Reigosa. After an extensive audit of the Grand Lodge finances, Carreño and Reigosa may have ultimately embezzled more than US$20,000 using forged documents, along with making off with another US$19,000 in cash from an office safe. The thefts were discovered in January 2024, he was soon expelled by the Supreme Council (the Scottish Rite) in Cuba, but he refused to step down from his Grand Master position amid shouts of "Traitor! Usurper! Out thief!" at the annual meeting of the Grand Lodge in March 2024. After he finally left the meeting hall, he was unanimously replaced by Mayker Filema Duarte as the new Grand Master until proper elections could be held in March of this year. 

Former Grand Master Mario Alberto Urquía Carreño (Photo: Cubanet)

At that time, Carreño was seen by most Masons in Cuba as being a hand-picked puppet, illegally imposed on them by the state's security forces. Despite the charges of conspiracy and embezzlement against him last year, the Communist government's Ministry of Justice (MINJUS) ordered him reinstated and restored as Grand Master in June. But by August, the criminal charges against him could no longer be dodged, and he resigned as Grand Master, handing the purple apron over to Mayker Filema Duarte. 

Cuban Masons didn't like that choice, either, as Duarte was seen as a buddy of Carreño and just one more narc for the state security service. Duarte was supposed to hold general elections in March of this year, but postponed them until May 25th. That date came, but Duarte decided to cancel the elections altogether and remain in the Grand East until further notice. Making the situation even dicier, Duarte's actions were supported by the Communist Party of Cuba and the MINJUS, despite the fact that he was in violation of the Grand Lodge's internal rules. And that's when the rank and file Masons collectively yelled, "Hold my Cuba Libra," and the gathering turned into an ugly hockey game brawl.

Last Sunday it was reported that Grand Master Duarte has now been removed from his position after refusing to hold the grand lodge elections. Duarte was booted after 121 members of the Grand Lodge and 117 representatives of lodges around the country held a special called session in Havana. According to at least one source, Duarte had ordered the closure of all the Grand Lodge's facilities, prompting the Freemasons to gather outside the theater while government security officers observed and recorded their activities.

Cuban Masons held an impromptu called meeting outside of the
Grand Lodge after Grand Master Duarte closed the building down. Photo: Cubanet

The current Deputy Grand Master Juan Alberto Kessel Linares was named as the new sitting Grand Master by the assembled brethren until a called meeting for general elections can be held in September. 

Duarte and his grand officers did not attend the sidewalk session.

A Mason interviewed by Cubanet considered the event historic and said that they made the decision to oust Duarte after exhausting all legal avenues.

"We tried, through all legal means, even unconventional ones, to assert our will and respect our legislation, but Filema refused to do so. Their lack of respect became evident and, worse still, MINJUS, far from ensuring proper conduct, actually supported it and fostered an unnecessary confrontation. We, the Cuban Freemasons, are the rightful owners of this Institution and we must, above all else, adhere to our oaths and the current legislation. If the government wants to dominate us, we will not allow it,"

From the article on Cibercuba.com:

[Duarte] had suspended the session of the High Masonic Chamber (the legislative body of the institution) in which elections for the senior positions of the Lodge were to take place in previous weeks.

With that precedent, which, according to a report from Cubanet, extended its "dictatorship" and "the illegality within the Institution", the Freemasons decided to enforce justice.

A decree obtained by that media outlet revealed that Filema Duarte claimed that the "conditions to resume the suspended session on March 23 were not guaranteed."

In the text, he justified suspending the meeting to prevent alleged "scandals that transcend public life" and "further damage the already tarnished image of our Institution."

Previously, he warned about "personal threats" against him and announcements of "vandalistic behaviors with publicity from independent media." He believed that such acts were "inappropriate" for Freemasons and aimed to discredit the institution.

Filema Duarte was elected as Grand Master following the resignation of Mario Urquía Carreño, amid a corruption case involving the misappropriation of thousands of dollars and over 4 million pesos from the Lodge.

However, although the High Chamber established a six-month term for the position, until the holding of general elections, the Grand Master suspended the agreed-upon session.

Cubanet revealed that the Freemasons handed over documents and evidence to the Ministry of Justice to demonstrate the illegality committed by Filema Duarte in refusing to hold elections. However, Miriam García, director of Associations at MINJUS, did not address the complaint and supported the [actions of Duarte].

Making matters worse (if that's possible), while the large Grand Lodge headquarters building in Havana looks impressive, as though it's packed with Masonic occupants, it is, in reality, packed with government offices and officials who rent space in the building. Government officials frequently sit quite openly in Masonic meetings to observe their activities. It will be curious to see whether the Masons will prevail at electing and disciplining their own governing officers, or if the government forces them to knuckle under and keep Duarte on the throne of Solomon.

Freemasonry in Cuba has a peculiar relationship with their Communist Party that's quite unlike anywhere else in the Communist world. Most Communist regimes have banned Masonic organizations completely, dating back to the Russian Revolution in the early 20th century. But when Cuba's revolutionary leader Fidel Castro was fighting anti-Communist forces on the island in the 1950s, he was given aid and comfort by several groups of Masons there. Some have claimed that he was allowed to hide out in Masonic halls. 

After the Batista government was toppled and Castro came to power in 1959, Masonry was one of very few private organizations permitted to operate behind closed doors, and he never forgot the assistance they gave him during those early days. Which is partially why their Havana office tower got so many government tenants over the subsequent decades. But it also makes it quite easy for the government to keep a careful watch over their internal affairs.

According to fairly recent figures, there are currently 327 lodges in the country and a total of 48,000 Cuban Freemasons. Of these, only about 20,000 remain within the island, representing an exodus of more than 50% of registered Masons.

It should be said that, while the Grand Lodge of Cuba is perfectly legitimate in origin and satisfies most of the most common requirements of recognition with the regular Masonic world, it was kicked out of the Conference of Grand Masters of North America (COGMNA) in 1962 because it was openly being used as a tool of the Cuban government. 

More than 60 years later, it would appear that little has changed in that regard.

Embattled Grand Master Mario Urquía Carreño of the GL of Cuba Is Forced To Resign

Mario Urquía (left) and the Grand Masonic Temple of Cuba (right)

Image © Collage Facebook/Mario Urquía - CiberCuba

by Christopher Hodapp

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. 

From Mario Urquía Steps Down as Cuba's Grand Master After Months of Controversy by Emma Garcia:

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.”

Prior press accounts of this story can be seen at the following links:

Freemasons Protest at Cuba's Grand Lodge, Demand Assembly to Elect New Grand Master
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

Mario Urquía Steps Down as Cuba's Grand Master After Months of Controversy
Monday, August 19, 2024 by Emma Garcia

https://www.cubaheadlines.com/articles/287095

Grand Lodge of Cuba Votes To Expel Sitting Grand Master Mario Carreño

by Christopher Hodapp

On Sunday, the assembled brethren of the Gran Logio de Cuba de AL&AM (Grand Lodge of Cuba) voted to expel their sitting Grand Master, Mario Alberto Urquía Carreño. From the HavanaLive website translated from 14YMedio.com on March 24th:

(Havana) The Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Cuba, Mario Alberto Urquía Carreño, has been expelled by the representatives of more than 300 lodges on the Island, shouting “Out with a thief, usurper, scoundrel, traitor.” The events occurred on Sunday, when Urquía, who continued to hold office after the controversial theft of $19,000 from his office, was preparing to preside over the semi-annual session of the Masonic Upper House.

The information, reported by CubaNet, was confirmed to 14ymedio this Monday by Ángel Santiesteban, a 33rd degree Mason – the highest step in the order’s hierarchy – and an independent journalist, who could not attend the event but knows the facts.

In his opinion, whoever succeeds the Grand Master – predictably the Deputy Grand Master, Gerardo Cepero Díaz, critical of Urquía – will stop the interference of State Security in the lodge, something that leaves room for optimism.

The Freemasons considered that Urquía was illegally carrying out the position, since on January 25th he was expelled by the Supreme Council of the 33rd Degree for the Republic of Cuba for his alleged “betrayal.”

A witness to what happened this Sunday told CubaNet that the Grand Master refused to leave the room, but he had to do so due to the almost unanimous demand of the representatives of the lodges.

“There was a lot of indignation accumulated over the actions of the Grand Master. “He came out saying that he would call the Registry of Associations (of the Ministry of Justice) to complain, but they have no authority here,” he said.

“That had never happened in Cuban Freemasonry,” he added, “not the painful aftermath of the robbery, nor the blatant interference of State Security, nor the expulsion of an acting Grand Master. “Today is the day of shame, the day in which Cuban Freemasons demonstrate our autonomy and integrity.”

The Grand Lodge had expelled Urquía for his “punishable and intentional” conduct, despite the fact that his responsibility in the theft of the money – which belonged to the Llansó National Masonic Asylum, in the Havana municipality of Arroyo Naranjo – is still being investigated. 

The Supreme Council then considered that his “entrenchment” was, in addition, leaving as a consequence a “major Masonic schism in the national territory.”

Urquía continued to cling to the position, despite the rejection of a large majority of Freemasons, some of whom had asked the United States to eventually deny him possible entry into the country for “being an active collaborator of the intelligence agencies of the regime of Cuba”.

This was stated by a Freemason residing in Colombia, Pompilio Portuondo, on his Facebook account, where he added the names of some alleged “collaborators.”

“Gradually we will continue to bring to light more names of people who are collaborating with Mario Alberto Urquia and all the HH (brothers) who in one way or another have hidden, supported, or support Mr. Mario Alberto Urquia Carreño in the next session of the Masonic Upper Chamber of the Grand Lodge on Sunday, March 24.

We will expose it to the knowledge of the entire international community and especially in the United States so that they are denied entry as agents of the regime,” he said.

According to CubaNet, once Urquía’s departure was achieved, and under the transitional presidency of the former Grand Master, Ernesto Zamora, all the Decrees that Urquía had formed after January 25 to date were challenged, “including those in which he sent to the Court to those who had confronted him.”

It remains to be known what will happen to José Ramón Viñas Alonso, Sovereign Grand Commander of the Supreme Council of the 33rd degree, who was expelled from Freemasonry for seven years by a ruling by the Supreme Court of Masonic Justice of Cuba on Thursday, February 22.

His “punishment” was interpreted by many as revenge by Urquía Carreño against Viñas, for having reported the theft of the $19,000 in dispute.

Confirmed: Grand Master of Cuba Defects to the U.S.

Grand Master Francisco Javier Alfonso Vidal (Facebook)

by Christopher Hodapp

I received a message from a Brother in Texas last week alerting me that the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Cuba had just defected to the United States. He and his wife traveled to Mexico, purportedly on vacation, and crossed into the U.S. at the Texas border where they requested asylum. The Grand Lodge of Florida provided financial assistance to the couple, and they were helped locally by officers from a lodge in Brownsville, Texas. 

They will be staying with relatives in the U.S. while getting settled.

The story was confirmed this week. The Grand Lodge of Cuba issued a statement yesterday saying he had "abandoned his mission" and "escaped" to Mexico. And the now-immediate Past Grand Master himself – Francisco Javier Alfonso Vidal (photo above) – issued a long, public letter explaining his reasons for resigning his position from the Grand Lodge, and for leaving Cuba behind.

For obvious reasons, his name was withheld from the message I received. But just as I sat down today to post it, the following article appeared today on the Translating Cuba website, translated by Regina Anavy. 

Cat's out of the bag now, so I'm not breaking anyone's trust by posting his name.

From: "The Grand Master of the Freemasons of Cuba Denounces a ‘Coup d’état’ of Cuban Counterintelligence"

Francisco Javier Alfonso Vidal, second on the left, 

along with José Ramón Viñas Alonso, first on the right, 

and two other master masons, at an event in Veracruz, Mexico. 

(Facebook/José Ramón Viñas)

14ymedio, Havana, 3 January 2023 — Master Freemason Francisco Javier Alfonso Vidal, leader until Tuesday of the Grand Lodge of Cuba, reported in a public letter the reasons that led him to quit his position and leave the country. Signed in the “Greater East” of the United States, a country where he has applied for asylum with his wife, and addressed to his temporary substitute, Armando Guerra Lozano, the letter denounces the infiltration of State Security into the Cuban Masonic leadership and his intention, for several months, to remove himself from his post. 

On Tuesday, the Grand Lodge of Cuba published a circular in which it explained that Alfonso Vidal had not returned from Mexico, where he was a guest of the Freemasons of Veracruz, and described his escape as an “unexpected and masonically regrettable event.” 

From the United States, the former Grand Master defends himself from those who accuse him of “abandoning his mission” and recalls that he was elected as a representative of the Cuban Freemasonry in an “unquestionable” ceremony from the legal point of view, in addition to pointing out that at no time did he violate the Masonic principles of succession, as say the Masons infiltrated by State Security, he alleges. He clarifies that he is leaving because of the impossibility of fulfilling his duty, as defined by the Masonic statutes, with the “total transparency, autonomy and necessary freedom.”
The position of Grand Master, assumed at the moment by Armando Guerra Lozano — in accordance with Decree 634, the last one signed by Alfonso Vidal — carries the responsibility of remaining in the position until the celebration of a partial election during an extraordinary session of the Masonic directors. 

However, says Alfonso Vidal, there is a faction related to the Government of Havana within the Grand Lodge, managed by counterintelligence officers, which intends to place in office — in violation of the legislation, he says — a candidate favorable to the regime.
“I am aware that my dismissal from office was being orchestrated through an Extraordinary Session in order to create a fictitious circumstance for Deputy Grand Master H. Fernando González García to illegally occupy the position,” Alfonso Vidal denounced in his letter. 

González García, according to the Grand Lodge circular, was also abroad, but will return, they say, on January 5. The former Grand Master suspects that his return is motivated by that goal. 

Alfonso Vidal considers that the special circular of the institution — initialed, in fact, by his substitute — was out of place and manifests a “total contempt for the Masonic Legislation,” in addition to manipulating his decision not to return to Cuba and labeling his attitude as “bad.” To say, moreover, that they had not communicated with him in the last two weeks is not a “coherent motivation” to assume his resignation without a document issued by the former Grand Master himself. 

“What was the ’serious abandonment of the position and functions entrusted’ if all witnesses can attest that I participated in every day of work in our friendly power [the Mexican lodge]? They don’t have an honest answer, I know,” he says. 

The former leader of the Freemasons questions those who try to effect what, in his opinion, is a “coup d’état,” with the intervention of counterintelligence agents of the regime “who claim to be Freemasons.” “Everyone and each of those who find themselves signing, looking for support, trying to win the support of representatives, lodges, opinion leaders, who spent days trying to send me an intimidating message, all are collaborators and perpetrators of the crime of treason to Freemasonry and will pay,” he denounced in his letter. 

The extensive document also describes in great detail the “attacks” on Cuban Freemasonry in recent months, and relates them to the active work of several of its members in denouncing government repression during the protests of July 11, 2021 and those of the summer of 2022. 

He mentions, for example, the open letter to Díaz-Canel sent by Master José Ramón Viñas Alonso, in which he offered “his opinion on the call for confrontation between Cubans that made everything worse,” earning him pressure from State Security to make a retraction. 

Another case is that of his predecessor in the position of Grand Master, Ernesto Zamora, who refused to attend a meeting with Díaz-Canel from which they intended to exclude José Ramón Viñas Alonso, whom the authorities had “regulated*” shortly before, preventing him from traveling to the United States. 

And finally, in December 2021, Alfonso Vidal recalls, the regime considered intolerable the intervention of Grand Speaker Luis Steve Ocaña in which he invited Cuban Freemasons to get involved in politics. 

“When one is elected to Grand Master it’s not all that one imagines it to be, with the pressure that it represents to be in charge of the fraternal destiny of more than twenty thousand brothers. Obstacles appear that one has to overcome,” Alfonso Vidal said in defense. 

“The fact that the Sovereign Grand Commander [José Ramón Viñas Alonso] became a nuisance for the Cuban Government and the organs of repression, and seeing that he received in many cases expressions of support that were not only Masonic but also from outside the order, State Security went on a mission to take him out of the middle,” he explained. 

The short-term intention, says Alfonso Vidal, was to force him, as Grand Master, to expel Viñas Alonso from the order “under some pretext.” He also said that he had mentioned this situation to Viñas Alonso on a trip they made together abroad — once their ban was lifted — “because I did not consider it safe to do so inside Cuba.” 

Faced with his refusal to accede to the pressures of counterintelligence — an individual who identified himself as Poll made more than 70 intimidating phone calls in one day — Alfonso Vidal made the decision not to go out without company. In addition, he received several police summonses, in which an officer told him that for more than 40 years State Security has been working on Cuban Freemasonry with its infiltrators. 

Fernando González García, the current Deputy Grand Master who will return to Cuba on January 5 “running to comply with orders” is one of those agents, in the opinion of the former dignitary. Other members of the Masonic leadership are part of the “conspiracy” against José Ramón Viñas Alonso, he says: Ernesto Zamora, whom he accuses of having apologized to the Communist Party for his opposition to Díaz-Canel, and the current treasurer of the Great Lodge, Ernesto Navarrete, who “is a policeman,” and who he suggests is managing the Masonic funds in an irregular way. 

Taking advantage of a business trip to a lodge in Veracruz, he and his wife decided to request political asylum in the United States, alleging that they have suffered systematic harassment by State Security in its “masonic hunt.” His son, however, remains in Cuba. For his part, says Alfonso Vidal, José Ramón Viñas Alonso — the main objective of counterintelligence — is “resisting harassment.” 

*Translator’s note: “Regulated,” as the term is used by the government, means forbidden to leave the country.

Grand Master of Cuba "Abandons His Mission" and "Escapes To Mexico"

by Christopher Hodapp

The Grand Lodge of Cuba announced yesterday that Grand Master Francisco Javier Alfonso Vidal did not return to Cuba from Mexico after taking a trip to Veracruz, Mexico he made with his wife.

Using terms like "escaped," it would seem that he may have defected.

From "The Leader of the Cuban Freemasons Escapes in Mexico, Reports the Grand Lodge" on the Translating Cuba website, translated by Regina Anavy:

Francisco Javier Alfonso Vidal was elected to the position in March 2022. (Facebook)

14ymedio, Havana, 3 January 2023 — The Grand Lodge of Cuba reported on Monday that Grand Master Francisco Javier Alfonso Vidal did not return to Cuba from Mexico after an institutional trip he made in the company of his wife. The leader of the Cuban Freemasons had received an invitation from the Grand Lodge of Veracruz and was to return to the Island on December 21, but “abandoned his mission,” according to a special circular from the Cuban Masonic board.

Before embarking on the trip to Mexico, Alfonso Vidal temporarily delegated his functions as Grand Master in Armando Guerra Lozano, Grand Master of Ceremonies, in order to “be absent from the national territory” at the invitation of Mexican Freemasons.

“During the activities related to his trip, communication with the elected Grand Master was lost,” the statement stays. “Since that moment, attempts to communicate with the Brother have been unsuccessful, which denotes a tacit resignation from his position, also constituting a serious total abandonment of his position and entrusted functions.”

The leadership assures that it does not know the current whereabouts of Alfonso Vidal and his wife, and describes the fact as “unexpected and masonically regrettable,” while guaranteeing that it will not have a negative impact on the work of the Grand Lodge of Cuba, which has, they affirm, “the ability and determination to continue our work and for which we know of the the willingness of all Cuban Freemasons.”

Another high-ranking Masonic dignitary, Deputy Grand Master Fernando González García, was abroad when he heard of Alfonso Vidal’s escape. The statement says that he “has announced his return” for January 5.

The letter, signed by the acting Grand Master Armando Guerra Lozano, and by Grand Secretary Carlos Alberto Pírez Benítez, has circulated on several digital platforms linked to Freemasonry in Cuba.

Francisco Javier Alfonso Vidal had been elected Grand Master of the Great Cuban Lodge in March 2022 and was already serving as treasurer of the institution. His election, carried out by the Masonic Parliament, was held after several postponements due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Translated by Regina Anavy

Grand Master of Florida Condemns Cuban Human Rights Violations

by Christopher Hodapp

On July 19th, MW Jeffrey S. Foster, the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Florida F&AM, issued a letter condemning human rights violations in Cuba, and encouraging all other grand lodges to do the same. (Click the image below to enlarge.)

This comes in the wake of two weeks of anti-government demonstrations against Cuban president Miguel Diaz-Canel and crackdowns by authorities.

The Grand Lodge of Florida is in amity with the Gran Logia de Cuba.

Grand Lodge of Cuba Issues Statement on Protests

by Christopher Hodapp

(This story has been updated 7/25/2021)

Anti-government demonstrations have rocked Cuba all week as that nation's economy continues to collapse. Thousands of Cubans have filled the streets protesting the nation's Communist leadership over the economy, food and medicine shortages, price hikes, and the government's handling of the pandemic. 

Protests began on Sunday in the city of San Antonio de los Baños, southwest of Havana, but have quickly spread across the country. Observers say these are Cuba's worst anti-government demonstrations in decades. That's considered significant because critics against the government in Cuba usually face harsh punishment. 

On Wednesday, MW Ernesto Zamura Fernandez, Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Cuba (Gran Logio de Cuba de Antiguos Libres y Aceptados Masones), issued a statement to his members concerning the civil unrest in that country. (Click the image to enlarge.) The Brother who forwarded it to me included this translation:

Declaration of the Grand Lodge of Cuba of Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons 

Because of the situation in the country, we have advocated among the masons that fanaticism not prevail, that not enmity nor hate nor violence prevail among Cubans, that rights be defended firmly and in the correct manner and that they always be on the side of justice; all with the objective of preserving peace. Similarly, we have urged the Government that dialogue and tolerance are the paths to resolving any differences and to respect the rights of citizens. 

Today we watch with sadness that something that could be seen coming due to discontent and grievances among the population has materialized in protests around the country. It is not strange that the authorities and security forces would try to dissolve and contain them. But it is also the case that the excessive use of force by those empowered to keep order is concerning. Based on the facts from Masons throughout the country, we consider that [the use of excessive force] only tend to exacerbate passions more and in the long term harm the peace of the nation.  

The call for confrontations between Cubans is unacceptable. These errors should not be normalized because once implanted they end in discrimination, injustice and separation. They have taught us over three centuries that Cuba is made by all, belongs to all, and for the good of all. 

A day such as today, the 14th of July [anniversary of the Cuban revolution/coup] thrust our society devoted to Liberty, Equality and Fraternity and we remember the Universal Declaration on the Rights of Man that makes clear that all people are born free and equal in dignity and rights; it proclaims that all are equal before the Law and have, without distinction, rights to equal protection under the Lay against all discrimination; and affirms that everyone has right with perfect equality to be heard publicly. 

The Grand Lodge of Cuba and the Masons, whatever their conviction, are on the side of the Cuban people and advocate for peace, concord and social justice. We urge tolerance, the search for truth and fraternal love be the modes that prevail in all circumstances.

UPDATED JULY 25, 2021:

The Supreme Commander of the Scottish Rite in Cuba, Illus. José Ramon Viñas Alonso, issued his own letter to President Miguel Diaz-Canel, accusing the government of constantly blaming the country’s problems on the U.S. trade embargo rather than recognizing his own responsibility (click image below to enlarge). 

The following is an imperfect machine translation of his letter. I do not speak or write Spanish and I do not wish to misrepresent his precise wording. If anyone can provide a more correct translation, please forward it to me at hodapp@aol.com:

We are writing to you with the purpose of letting you know our rejection of your position and direction [as the head] of the country, for summoning, inciting and ordering a confrontation with violence towards the Cuban people, also arrests and violence against peaceful protesters and citizens who think contrary to the system that you represent. At the same time, we declare our disagreement to always justifying the crisis in which the country is plunged due to external reasons ([the U.S.] Blockade), without recognizing the responsibility and ineffectiveness of [your own] government.

88 years ago during the government of General Gerardo Machado Morales, this same Supreme Council wrote to the president [condemming] the violence against his people. [As their] worthy heirs today we do the same. This social outbreak throughout the island shows the manifest dissatisfaction in which the country lives. [T]he members of the Supreme 33rd Degree Council for the Republic of Cuba, being part of the Institution that in that time most influenced the independence and society of this country, we have the prestige and history as guarantors and thus assume our position on the side of the people from Cuba, without considering in these [words] any disrespect for [your] high investiture as president of the country, but as a sincere and necessary position.

Illus. Alonso later posted on his Facebook page that he had been summoned to a police station where three officials questioned him over the letter. In a show of the growing sense of defiance in Cuban society, he suggested that the officers should instead visit the Masons where they could all speak on an equal footing. “As I left, there was a cluster of brothers waiting for me, defying the curfew about to start – Masonic pride… thank you, thank you!”

Foreign Language Lodges in America

Brethren of Esperenze Lodge 317 receiving their New Jersey charter on June 27, 2018.
The lodge has actually been in existence for more than 40 years.

If you look through the archives of your own grand lodge, you will likely find a handful of lodges chartered by your jurisdiction way back when that worked in different languages, especially in the 1800s and early 1900s. While they were technically following your state's approved ritual, these lodges performed theirs in the native language their members were most comfortable with. German was by far the most common, but there were noteworthy Italian- and French-speaking U.S. lodges as well. Pennsylvania, New York, and Washington D.C. still have several of these today. D.C. especially has quite a number of chartered 'cosmopolitan lodges' that often serve foreign-born Masons temporarily living in that city in connection with government, lobbying or embassy jobs. Many others like Massachusetts, Florida, and California also have foreign language lodges. 

Those are properly chartered lodges under those mainstream jurisdictions. But there's a relatively recent and growing wrinkle in the realm of 'clandestine' lodges and Masons. With the influx of more foreign born immigrants into America's large urban centers, there are a growing number of independent lodges made up of Cuban, Central and South American, Filipino, or other foreign-born Masons who have been ignored (or even shunned) by mainstream Masonry in this country. To answer their desire to become Masons — or to attend lodges that work in their native languages from back home —  more 'clandestine' lodges spring up every day that cater to them specifically. Some have been connected with legitimate foreign grand lodges which have invaded U.S. jurisdictional claims by chartering lodges here. But a large number of them are independent, self-created lodges. And more than a few have been around for a very long time, operating off of the radar screens of our grand lodges.

MW Roger Quintana, the current Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of New Jersey seems to have taken the bull by the horns in his jurisdiction. New Jersey being a densely populated state and just across the border from New York, there are scores of clandestine Masonic lodges sprinkled throughout that jurisdiction. Instead of going on the attack against them, or ignoring them altogether, the Grand Lodge of New Jersey is trying a different approach. Portuguese-speaking Brazilian Masons in New Jersey have been hunting a legitimate lodge to join, and so the Grand Lodge is reaching out to find new ways to bring them under the umbrella of proper recognition and regularity. In 2018, the Grand Lodge of New Jersey has announced the transformations of formerly clandestine Esperanza Lodge 317 in Union City and Perucho Figueredo Lodge 370 in Elizabeth into fully chartered and regular, recognized ones under the Grand Lodge of New Jersey. 

First regular meeting of Perucho Figueredo Lodge 370
under its charter from the GL of New Jersey

Further, New Jersey has just received applications to do this from another independent clandestine lodge, Solomon Lodge. According to MW Quintana's letter (see below), their members will be re-obligated at a special One Day Class, and the formerly clandestine lodge will be consecrated with a proper charter from the GL of New Jersey. 

(Similarly, numerous Prince Hall grand lodges in the US have special 'healing' ceremonies in order to re-obligate Masons who joined 'clandestine' lodges first, and then later wished to become PHA Masons. NJ's actions seem to be a lodge-wide extension of that sort of thing.)

Click image to enlarge

While other states have not talked much about this in public, his letter says that the Grand Lodges of New York, Washington, DC, and Pennsylvania have also been doing similar lodge conversions in this manner. (If I'm not mistaken, this has also taken place in Florida with former Cuban lodges – please correct me if I'm wrong. And I'm guessing California has done something similar over the years.) 

I'm told that the Grand Lodge of Arizona has a standard ritual in Spanish, and a handful of other states may also have their own in various languages as well. This is no longer a situation peculiar to just the coastal states and cities, or to southern border states. For the rest of us across the U.S. who find ourselves with growing foreign-born populations and communities in our various states, it is downright foolish and short-sighted to ignore this vast and growing population. And this is not even remotely just a big city issue. Look at these startling statistics. 

According to a 2017 study by the Center for Immigration Studies,

Newly released Census Bureau data for 2017 shows nearly half (48.2 percent) of residents in America's five largest cities now speak a language other than English at home. Overall, the number of U.S. residents speaking a foreign language at home reached a record of nearly 67 million. The total number is up seven million since 2010 and has increased by nearly 35 million since 1990.

Among the findings:

• In 2017, a record 66.6 million U.S. residents (native-born, legal immigrants, and illegal immigrants) ages five and older spoke a language other than English at home. The number has more than doubled since 1990, and almost tripled since 1980.

• As a share of the population, 21.8 percent of U.S. residents speak a foreign language at home — roughly double the 11 percent in 1980.

• In America's five largest cities, 48 percent of residents now speak a language other than English at home. In New York City and Houston it is 49 percent; in Los Angeles it is 59 percent; in Chicago it is 36 percent; and in Phoenix it is 38 percent.
• In 2017, there were 85 cities and Census Designated Places (CDP) in which a majority of residents spoke a foreign language at home. These include Hialeah, Fla. (95 percent); Laredo, Texas (92 percent); and East Los Angeles, Calif. (90 percent). Perhaps more surprisingly, it also includes places like Elizabeth, N.J. (76 percent); Skokie, Ill. (56 percent); and Germantown, Md., and Bridgeport, Conn. (each 51 percent).
• Nearly one in five U.S. residents now lives in a city or CDP in which one-third of the population speaks a foreign language at home. This includes Dale City, Va. (43 percent); Norwalk, Conn., and New Rochelle, N.Y. (each 42 percent); and Aurora, Colo., and Troy, Mich. (each 35 percent).
• In contrast to many of the nation's cities, in rural areas outside of metropolitan areas just 8 percent speak a language other than English at home

Consider that there are sixteen lodges today in New York's 10th Manhattan District, and they grew out of the enormous immigrant populations that came to America and settled in the New York City area. The Tenth Manhattan is home to lodges permitted to work Craft degrees in French, Italian, and Spanish, and more, which differ—often substantially—from the traditional Preston-Webb rituals you find in almost every other state in the U.S. (with the notable exception of Pennsylvania's). It's not for nothing that this group of lodges refers to themselves as the 'Cosmopolitan Tenth,' which is how you'll find them on Facebook these days. Now, New Jersey has just established its own similar 6th District specifically geared to working with their newly christened foreign language and 'cosmopolitan' lodges in order to conform their sometimes very different rituals with current New Jersey practices.

This is a not a new idea, and by no means is it any sort of Earth-shattering innovation. A French-speaking New York lodge was asked to be the first lodge leading George Washington's funeral procession at Mount Vernon in 1799. Foreign language lodges were common a century and a half ago throughout America, and there's no reason why they shouldn't be again. 

Think of it a different way: Freemasonry is actually growing and thriving in Central and South American nations, where the bulk of our current immigration wave originates. Untold numbers of men join Masonic lodges in these Spanish- or Portuguese-speaking nations, only to find no lodges in which they feel comfortable or at home once in the U.S. Their only recourse is to establish or join a clandestine lodge, knuckle under and become proficient in English, or not attend at all. In other words, these are existing Freemasons living in our midst whom we are simply ignoring. It's long past time to be chartering new lodges in our jurisdictions that are permitted to work our official rituals (or at least close to them), just in a different language. 

Almost twenty years ago when faced with Masonic temples that were searching for rental possibilities, I suggested that lodges should be offering their dining room facilities for use by language tutors and schools to teach immigrants English, and/or Americans Spanish. It was clear then that there was already a growing need for such classes, and I suggested it as a new way to highlight the importance of Masonic halls in our communities once again. At that time, immigration wasn't really on many people's radar, and no one took it seriously. As the statistics above show, it's long past time to take it seriously now. 

While Masons haven't been paying attention, America has changed dramatically. Instead of decrying it or hiding from it as our membership continues to plummet, we need to see it as an opportunity to once again adapt to serve the society in which we reside - just as Freemasonry has always done in the past. Improving the world one Mason at a time is still our mission, no matter how our communities may change around us. Let's find a way to accommodate this upheaval in demographics instead of burying our collective heads in the sand.