Israeli President received the visit of the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Israel

Monday, 12 September 2016

Tel Aviv, Israel. On 10 November 2015 a delegation of the Grand Lodge of the State of Israel was received by His Excellency President Reuven Rivlin. The delegation of the Grand Lodge was headed by Grand Master Avi Baranès. The delegation also included, among others: Past Grand Masters Nadim Mansour, Sami Raphael, Itzhak Zino, Ephraim Fuchs, Deputy Grand Master Suleiman Salem etc.

The President of Israel received from the Grand Master the medal of the Grand Lodge in recognition for his actions made in favor of Israeli citizens without distinction of race and religion.

Grand Master Avi Baranès is in his second term, leading  the sole regular Grand Lodge of Israel. President Reuven Rivlin is the leader of the Israeli state since 2014 and is a supporter of minority rights.

XIV World Conference of Regular Grand Lodges was held in the United States of America

San Francisco, United States. From 18 to 21 November 2015 took place the World Conference of Regular Grand Lodges, organized by the Grand Lodge of California. The opening ceremony took place Thursday at 8:30 in the presence of the President, Executive Secretary Radu Balanescu (Grand Master of the National Grand Lodge of Romania). Also, the occupying the presidium were Thomas Jackson and Ronald Seale (Sovereign Grand Commander of the Supreme Council for the Southern Jurisdiction of the United States). The conference was opened jointly by the Grand Lodge of California, Prince Hall Grand Lodge of California and the Grand Lodge of Iran (in exile in the United States).

The event took place at the California Masonic Memorial Temple in San Francisco. The conference was attended by over 1000 Freemasons representing over Grand Lodges. The next World Conference of Regular Grand Lodges will take place in Antananarivo, Madagascar (Africa) in 2017 and that of 2018 will be organized by the Grand Lodge of Panama.

Freemasonry and the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil, 2016)

Friday, 12 August 2016

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. On 5 August 2016 took place the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, organized for the first time in South America (Brazil). The history of Modern Olympics is closely linked to Pierre de Fredy, Baron of Coubertin: Freemason, French pedagogue and historian, founder of the International Olympic Committee and founder of the modern Olympic Games.

The number of Freemasons to be present in Rio de Janeiro during the Olympic Games varies between 16,500 and 18,200. Brazil has one of the largest Masonic communities in the world, and the largest in Latin America. Some statistics show that in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games were involved (at all levels of activity) over 3,700 Freemasons, and during the course of the game their number exceeds 1,200.

The opening ceremony of the Olympic Games was marked by symbolism: Rio de Janeiro was the capital of the Brazilian Freemasonry until 1960, here were initiated in Freemasonry some of the greatest personalities of Brazilian colonial, imperial and republican society . Also, the opening ceremony has drawn attention to global warming and the plant chosen was a small acacia shrub, one of the important symbols of Blue Freemasonry. In terms of symbolism, the Olympics in Brazil were much poorer than the one that took place in London in 2012.

The Masonic Agency has officially resumed its publishing and international activity

Monday, 1 August 2016

On 1 August 2016 took place the election and installation of the new leadership of the Masonic Agency, which is, since today, led by the President of the Council. The Agency will begin publishing news and information in August. It will also realize some interviews this year.

Also starting with 1 August 2016 the Agency has resumed its Masonic internal and international activities. All official communications shall be made through the Secretariat of Communications Technology and Information (secti.contact@gmail.com). The old email address is no longer functional.

From now on all posts, information, news, interviews etc will be accompanied by the following official hashtag: #FM24h. The presence of this element on the official portals and official social networks (Facebook & Twitter) represents an identification system. Using this hashtag outside the mentiones portals and social networks does not represent a guarantee of the origin of the source (Masonic Agency).

Elections for the office of President of the Council of the Masonic Agency

Monday, 4 July 2016

This week, the Secretary-General ad interim will start the necessary procedures for ending the interim management of the Agency and to leave the office.

The procedure requires amending the Constitution and the Statute of the Advisory Body. Also, by installing a new leadership at the helm of the Masonic Agency, the attributes of the General Secretariat will be taken over temporarily by the Secretariat of Communications Technology and Information (SeCTI). Among those running for the leadership of the Council will be the coordinator of the Chancellery for Foreign Affairs, currently Secretary General ad interim and President ex officio of the Council.

Since the beginning of the Agency till 30 August 2010, the Agency was headed by its Founder. Subsequently, from 30 August 2010 to 2015, the Agency was headed by a Secretary General who served ex officio as President of the Council. Starting with this year, the office of President of the Council will an elective one, and a part of the duties of the Secretary-General will go to the office of President who will lead an executive Council and not a consultative one, as it was during 2010 - 2016, according to the Constitution.