Invisible College: It is Now or Never!

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Nearly everything has already been said about the critical situation within the Grand Lodge of Spain in other past publications of the Invisible College.

However, the old ghosts, who have persecuted Freemasonry in the past, the political extreme right wing and the conservative factions within the administration of the Catholic church, have been resurrected coinciding with the exhumation of the remains of our most famous persecutor and executor. An act that, we as Freemasons were not implicated or involved in before or after the event.

The historical patrimony of Spanish Freemasonry from before the Spanish Civil War has not been returned to us as our rightful heritage, even though we incorporated the association "GRANDE ORIENTE ESPAÑOL", within the Grand Lodge of Spain. Instead, now what has happened is that all the bad memories and feelings have returned because of the actions taken recently at the mausoleum known as the "Valle de Los Caídos" and the exhumation of the body of Franco. A situation aggravated by yet more inappropriate public interventions by the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Spain.

Relations with the Catholic Church have not advanced even if as Freemasons we carry out well-intentioned acts such as the recent benevolent initiatives by Freemasons in Córdoba. These already tense relations were even more damaged after the inappropriate personal letter sent to the church by Oscar de Alfonso who is our Grand Master. This letter could easily be misconstrued to appear to represent the opinions of all of the Freemasons in Spain which is a totally incorrect interpretation.

The Invisible College asks the question if it is really the responsibility of freemasons, to strive to win the approval of those who do not want to recognise Freemasonry as being a reputable institution with honourable aims?

Is it necessary to publish our good intentions so that our critics can immediately come back at us with more attacks and twist our words and intentions?

Would it not be better to carry out benevolent acts and to quietly go about our purpose of improving ourselves as persons as well as the society in which we live rather than publishing so much information about ourselves to a society which, for the most part, is not interested unless they are the extreme right wing in their politics or part of the conservative faction within the administration of the Catholic church?

It seems Freemasonry in Spain does not have clear how to establish respectability and recognition for Freemasonry in the Profane society without achieving negative repercussions. The present actions of the Grand Master are not working so we should consider another option sooner rather than later before more damage is done to our institution.

The recent silence of the Invisible College is nothing more than the time of reflection and analysis we have undertaken. Do not forget that we are not a blog or a group taking part in a power struggle within the GLE. Our publications are specific and rationalised.

The Invisible College believes it is better to take time in reflection and work with discretion. We do not seek publicity or protagonist. We are interested in promoting the good for the whole of Spanish Freemasonry regardless of the religion, nationality, political views or ritual practised by the Brethren.

Undoubtedly, there are specific moments in which it is necessary to speak out, and this is one of them in view of the proximity of the next meeting of the GRAND CONCLAVE of the Grand Lodge of Spain.

This meeting could and should be an opportunity to bring the Grand Lodge of Spain together to start the process of solving our internal leadership and constitutional problems.

Regular Freemasonry, within the Grand Lodge of Spain, is being destroyed from within. It is embroiled in a "trench warfare" which is wearing the membership down.

The Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Spain, with his well-known attitudes, already well documented in previous publications, is determined to strengthen the division within our obedience instead of resolving the crisis. He is clinging to authority by the strategy of divide and rule. He even expects the members of the Grand Conclave to vote for accounts that have not been compiled or presented by the elected treasurer, whose illegal suspension from GRAN LOGIA DE ESPAÑA but not Masonry should have been resolved by now so that it is the elected Grand Treasurer's accounts which are debated at the Grand Conclave this month and not those of a temporary treasurer closely allied to the Grand Master.

The opposition groups are also entrenched in their positions and strategies of criticism and opposition.

Neither side appears to be able or willing to promote an open debate by calling for an Extraordinary Grand Assembly, which is what is needed urgently to correct the present situation.

The Invisible College believes that it is the time for such an Extraordinary Grand Assembly especially as this month it is the regular meeting of the Grand Conclave and it is at this meeting that the members can constitutionally demand an Extraordinary Grand Assembly without having to get the prior approval of the Grand Master.

The Grand Conclave members, no mater what their allegiances, must approve a motion to convene an Extraordinary General Assembly to discuss the future of the Grand Lodge of Spain and to vote on any propositions presented at the Extraordinary General Assembly to improve the present situation which is leading us all to disaster.

The Grand Conclave members cannot forget that, when the institutions of an organization do not work as they should and when the democratic and legal mechanisms of an association such as ours cannot act due to blockage or corruption within the institution itself, then the frustration and the intrinsic injustice of the situation can generate extreme and undesirable results. If this happened within our Grand Lodge it would be the responsibility of those members of the Grand Conclave who can and should help solve the problems of the Grand Lodge of Spain but did not carry out their duty to demand an Extraordinary General Assembly to discuss the future of the Grand Lodge of Spain.

The Grand Conclave has the power, the voice and the legal status, but also the responsibility to demand an Extraordinary General Assembly to discuss the future of the Grand Lodge of Spain. The Grand Conclave members must act now, this month before it is too late and the Grand Lodge of Spain is permanently damaged, fragmented and exposed to the possibility of being declared irregular by the rest of the Masonic world. It is now or never!

Fidelity, Fidelity, Fidelity

The Invisible College.