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The Grand Lodge of the Grand Orient in Rimini

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Between tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, the Grand Orient of Italy celebrates the National Grand Lodge of 2021 at the Palacongressi in Rimini, an event in the presence and with rigorous anti-Covid security measures. Freemasonry has been the protagonist of history: even without being the puppeteer who pulls all the strings, it was fundamental in the American Revolution, in the French one, in the Italian Risorgimento and also afterwards. Most of the founding fathers of the United States were Freemasons, from George Washington to Benjamin Franklin to Thomas Jefferson, and the tradition continued down to FD Roosevelt and other presidents of our time; many protagonists of the Italian Unity have been Freemasons, starting with Garibaldi Primo Massone Italy (although you can read entire biographies about him that do not even mention this fact); the formula “Liberté, égalité, fraternité”, the flag of the European Union and the music chosen by the EU as a hymn, composed by the Freemason Beethoven based on the text of the Freemason Schiller, are of Masonic derivation. Stefano Bisi, current Grand Master of the Grand Orient of Italy, quotes the historian Marcello Flores: “Without Freemasonry in the world there would be less freedom and fewer human rights”.

However, the image of Freemasonry in the newspapers, on TV and in the statements of many politicians is often negative, associated with underworld or even organized crime: how do you respond Bisi?

«I invite those who address these criticisms to us to deepen our history. We have books and websites. I hear and read comments and articles that misquote Freemasonry or Masonic terminology: for example, what sense does it make on TV and in newspapers to call the so-called Hungarian Lodge a “Lodge”? It has nothing to do with Freemasonry, but the name makes you think ».

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Another objection. There is a whole Western historical and philosophical tradition that is currently under attack by the “cancel culture”. Is Freemasonry also affected? Or are new recruits coming in to revitalize it?

«There is a very strong demand for new members. In Italy, there are 23,000 brothers from the Grande Oriente and at the moment there is intense activity in the Lodges to make up for the time lost during the pandemic and carry out the initiation ceremonies of the many “knockers” (candidates, Editor’s note) who have not was able to enter the two years of Covid. Because this is the Grand Orient, to join an initiation in presence is essential, you cannot take a card online ».

How do you explain this renewed interest?

“Many people in the period of the pandemic have reasoned more about their own being:” Who are we and what do we want to be? “. Many have developed the need to undertake an inner path of deepening, which is the basis of Freemasonry ».

Is the Grand Lodge of Rimini open to everyone?

“There are ritual moments reserved for the brothers but everything else, the conferences, the exhibitions, is open to the public. The invitation I take the liberty of making is to come and visit us at the Palacongressi without prejudice ».

Is there any procedure to be carried out?

«Yes, but very simple. Just register on our site and present the Green Pass. All our employees in contact with the public are vaccinated ».

In the past, Freemasonry has also been accused of collusion with fascism or black plots.

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“We Freemasons gave blood in the Risorgimento and then in the fight against fascism. We suffered the consequences of the fascist dictatorship, when the Lodges were banned and the Grand Master was arrested and then sent to confinement. We participated in the rebirth of Italy after the war, but the Republic did not give us back Palazzo Giustiniani in Rome, which Mussolini took away from us. A legal agreement has been reached, whereby we recognize the state property but in exchange we are guaranteed to build a 140 square meter museum of Freemasonry in Palazzo Giustiniani. But the years go by and this agreement is not respected. We urge the President of the Senate to meet us to resolve the problem without further lawsuits ».

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