13.03.2013 | Jorge Mario Bergoglio elected Pope Francis I at 187 years since the issuance of Quo Graviora Papal Bull against Freemasonry

Wednesday 13 March 2013

Vatican. Today was elected the new Pope, successor of Pope Benedict XVI (Pope Emeritus) at the helm of the Vatican. The one who will be called Pope Francis I (Francis of Assisi), is the Argentine Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, former Archbishop of Buenos Aires. The new Pope is of Italian origin and member of the Jesuit Order (11 March 1958). His actions in recent years in Argentina have indicated that he is part of the Catholic orthodoxy.

Pope Francis is the first pope from Latin America, where countries have suffered due to the Catholic Inquisition. Today also marks 187 years since Pope Leo XII issued the Quo Graviora Papal Bull a document against Freemasonry.

Grand Lodge of Argentina welcomes the election of Pope Francis

Saturday 16 March 2013

Buenos Aires, Argentina. Grand Lodge of Argentina officially welcomed the election of Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio as the Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of the Vatican. Argentinian Grand Master Angel Jorge Clavero considers that this appointment brought recognition to Argentine nation.

In the last week several Grand Lodges in Latin America, Europe and Asia (Lebanon) welcomed the election of the new Catholic Pope.

Grand Orient of Italy welcomed the election of Pope Francis

Thursday 21 March 2013

Rome, Italy. The Grand Master of the Grand Orient of Italy expressed his joy regarding the election of Pope Francis. Raffi stated that: "With the election of Pope Francis nothing will ever be the same again."

Pope Benedict XVI appoints Brother Vanderlei Bagnato member of the Vatican's Pontifical Academy of Sciences

Sunday 11 November 2012

Vatican City, Vatican. On November 7, 2012, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Brother Vanderlei Bagnato as member of the Vatican's Pontifical Academy of Sciences.

The professor and researcher Vanderlei Bagnato is a member of Estrela da Libertade (Liberty Star) Lodge #2877 of São Carlos, under the jurisdiction of the Grand Orient of São Paulo State, federated to the Grand Orient of Brazil.

Freemasons in Valencia say "NO" to the papal visit to Spain

Wednesday 17 August 2011

Valencia, Spain. A group of Spanish Freemasons protest against Pope's Benedict XVI visit in the Kingdom of Spanish (August 18th to 21st, 2011). The same manifesto is signed by a number of 130 secular organizations. According to the document containing an inappropriate language toward a head of state, those organizations are accuses the Pope that he wants to "reconquer" a country moving away from the morality and religiosity of the papacy.

Also, the manifest shows that the Spanish government will spend 25 million euros for this visit. The Masonic Press Agency of Romania wants to mention that the initiative of this group of Brothers Freemasons does not represent the expression of the Grand Lodge of Spain.

There is dialogue between the Church and Freemasonry

Monday 23 April 2012

Jales, Brazil. A town with fewer than 50,000 inhabitants finds itself in the attention of the international Masonic community. With the occasion of the 53th anniversary since the founding of Coronel Balthazar Lodge, the III Bishop of Jales (Dom Luiz Demetrio Valentini) attended a Masonic anniversary ceremony.

The Bishop gave a lecture in which he spoke about the need for dialogue and the fact that there is now an opportune moment for rapprochement between the Catholic Church and Freemasonry. At his 71 years the Bishop hopes that during the next four years to take place this rapprochement between the two institutions, wishing to repeat this action at national level, starting with Brazil.

In his speech, the Bishop recalled that 10 years ago there were discrete negociations between Freemasonry and the Catholic Church leadership in the country and that the correspondent between those two was Cardinal Ivo Lorscheider (last Brazilian bishop to be anointed by Pope Paul VI during the Vatican Council II in 1965) which now is dead. Dom Luiz Demetrio Valentini participated in the 1997 Special Synod of America, where he was elected member of the standing committee.

Stefano Bisi was installed Grand Master of the Grand Orient of Italy

Wednesday 16 April 2014

Rome, Italy. The Annual Communication and the Ceremony took place in Rimini. In the past 15 years the Grand Orient of Italy was led by Gustavo Raffi. Stefano Bisi (56 years old) leads Siena News online newspaper and entered into Freemasonry in 1982 (also Bisi is a member of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite and of the York Rite).

The Parliamentary Agency (of Italy) considers this a historic event. In his speech, Bisi quoted Seneca, Kant, Bob Kennedy, Gianna Nannini, Ivano Fossati, Rino Gaetano etc. Gustavo Raffi gave an important rplace to women in his speech and he said, "Let us learn from Pope Francis."

Ernesto Piacentini (Franciscan theologian) argues complementarity and pluralism in human civilization

Friday 30 September 2011

Bucarest, Romania. On the first day of the conference organized on the occasion of celebrating 130 years since the foundation of the first Scottish Rite Supreme Council in Romania, Don Roberto Amato delivered the message sent by Father Ernesto Piacentini from the Vatican.

In his message the Franciscan theologian (organizer of the annual meetings of Assisi, since the period of Pope John Paul II), spoke about spiritual complementarity and religious pluralism within the human civilization.