Masonic High Council the Mother High Council

Reactions to Regularity: statements emanating from the "United Grand Lodge of England"

==================================================================

"Anthony C. Wilson, President of the Board of General Purposes made the following remarks at the Quarterly Communication of the UGLE on 9 March 2005

It has come to the Board's attention that there is an irregular body styling itself the "Regular Grand Lodge of England" which is governed by something called "the Masonic High Council for England and Wales". It claims a number of members and at least one Lodge. Whilst this body appears to draw its members from Brethren of other Constitutions rather than our own, I must remind members of the Craft that any Freemason under this Grand Lodge who does in any way become associated with it, as with any other irregular self-styled Masonic body, must resign from the Craft or render himself liable to Masonic disciplinary proceedings.

This was followed by a letter to the Grand Secretaries of Grand Lodges in amity with UGLE:

United Grand Lodge of England

Our ref: COMMS/RAHM/JMI-I/sdh/Gsecsl l0th May 2005

Dear Brother Grand Secretary

The Regular Grand Lodge of England

You may be aware that an irregular body styling itself the “Regular Grand Lodge of England” has been gaining publicity through its own website, the website of other irregular bodies and a certain amount of ill-informed gossip in Masonic “chatrooms” on the internet.

It is being claimed that the formation of the “Regular Grand Lodge of England” is a result of a major schism within the United Grand Lodge of England that has led to a significant number of Lodges and individual members withdrawing from the United Grand Lodge of England. Those claims are malicious lies, with no foundation in reality. Of the known members of this new, irregular body, only two appear to have had any connection with regular Freemasonry in England. Rather than Lodges having defected to it, there appears to be only one active Lodge, self-constituted this year. Their website links page shows links to other irregular, self-constituted Grand Lodges in India and Europe, including the Grand Lodge of France, whose Grand Chancellor, Michael Singer, has been appointed representative of the “Regular Grand Lodge of England” for France.

I would be grateful if you could warn any of your members who might be visiting England that this new body is irregular, and, that to ensure they do not inadvertendy have contact with an irregular body their Masonic contacts in England should be made only through my office.

Yours faithfully and fraternally

RA H Morrow
"Grand Secretary"

www.ugle.org.uk

Distribution: Grand Secretaries of recognised Grand Lodges"


Open Letter to Grand Secretaries of Grand Lodges still in amity with the

"United Grand Lodge of England"

We were disappointed but not overly surprised to note the scurrilous tone and blatant misrepresentations contained in the above recent missive addressed to you from the General Secretary of the "United Grand Lodge of England". For our part, we do not believe that the cause of Freemasonry in England in particular or of the Craft in general is served by such fraternal intemperance.

The position of the Masonic High Council with regard to the ‘United Grand Lodge of England’ has already been clearly set out elsewhere on this website. Essentially it is that UGLE, save for a few honourable exceptions within its hierarchy and membership, no longer represents the moral and spiritual values of regular Freemasonry, a situation which we note with the greatest regret.

Indeed, we believe that it is this situation that has contributed to Freemasonry in England being derided by detractors with epithets such as ‘the mafia of the mediocre’. Whilst we are mafiosi only in the tormented imagination of deranged conspiracy-theorists, and the odd British Member of Parliament, we are imperfect mortals and, as such, susceptible to slipping into moral and spiritual mediocrity. And this is precisely why we are working to establish the Regular Grand Lodge of England: that worthy men may once again be given the opportunity to make their symbolic journey through Freemasonry to the ultimate goal of self-knowledge as moral and spiritual beings.

The Masonic High Council

Irregular and Unrecognised Grand Lodges

The Regular Grand Lodge of England reminds all Members of the Craft that they should take great care before joining any organisation which purports to be Masonic. If in doubt a written enquiry should be made of the Secretary General. There are some self-styled Masonic bodies that do not meet these standards, e.g. which do not require a belief in a Supreme Being, or which allow or encourage their members to participate as such in political matters and some of these self-styled Masonic bodies have even become little more than social clubs. These bodies are regarded by the Regular Grand Lodge of England as being Masonically irregular and Masonic contact with them should be avoided at all times.

If you have any questions or comments, we would be pleased to hear from you.

contact(at)rgle.org.uk

© The Regular Grand Lodge of England 2005

www.rgle.org.uk