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.