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New Archbishop of Canterbury opposes Freemasonry. The
Independent newspaper reported that Dr. Rowan Williams, the 104th. and the new
Archbishop of Canterbury was opposed to Freemasonry. Dr. Williams who was
enthroned last month has already become embroiled in controversy: on 15th.
November the newspaper reported that, in a letter to an investigator he wrote,
"I have real misgivings about the compatibility of Masonry and Christian
profession." He added that he had "resisted the appointment of known
Masons to certain senior posts." To
a query from The Independent he explained that he was "not in favour of
ministers being Masons because it is a "secret organisation" whose
views are questionable". Chaplain
to Dr. Williams, the Rev. Gregory Cameron explained further in the same report
that the Archbishop "questions whether it`s appropriate for Christian
ministers to belong to secret organisations. He also has some anxiety about the
spiritual content of Masonry." The Independent also quoted a spokesman for
the Archbishop as saying that Dr. Williams was "worried about ritual
elements in Freemasonry - which some have seen as possibly Satanically inspired
- and how that sits uneasily with Christian belief." And further that,
"because they are a society, there could be a network that involves mutual
back-scratching, which is something he would be greatly opposed to." It
would appear that once again that our Craft which does so much good in our
community is once again brought into question by a senior Church member. For
example if an individual who was a Christian had a manager who "resisted
the appointment of known Christians to certain senior posts", what would
the Archbishop`s reaction be? would this be fair? was merit considered? what is
the industrial relations phone number? Perhaps
one thing to think about is, if Freemasonry is such a secret society, how does
he know who to "resist appointment to senior posts within the Church?"
We
in Lodge St. Bryde do not have such hang ups about secrecy - check out our
homepage
Freemasons Hall, Molesworth Street, Dublin. Last
month the Editor took advantage of the low fare flights to Dublin and spent a
long weekend there. The Grand Lodge of Ireland Temple is located in the centre
of Dublin and it was a delight to pay a visit and have a guided tour. Freemasons
Hall has been the headquarters of Freemasonry in Ireland since its construction
in the 1860`s. Although the Grand Lodge of Ireland, the governing body of Irish
Freemasonry, has been in existence since
1725 this was its first purpose built and permanent home. Built to a prize
winning design by a Birmingham architect, Edward Holmes, the Hall was erected on
the site of the town house of the first Grand Master, Richard 1st. Earl of Rosse.
Before the Hall was built, the Grand Lodge of Ireland had
a number of temporary homes in Dublin city. The building houses a number of
meeting rooms, each one of which is decorated in a different architectural
style, as well as dining rooms, administrative offices, a
library and museum. Much of the original Victorian interior survives. The
museum exhibition chronicles the history of Freemasonry in Ireland, beginning
with the formation of the Grand Lodge of Ireland in 1725. Included
in the display are items of 18th. century regalia, Masonic jewels, drawings,
prints, pottery and glass. Among the exhibits is a reconstruction of a late
18th.century Lodge meeting held, as was usual at the time, in a tavern. Also on
display is a collection of fine handmade painted and embroidered Masonic aprons.
Freemasons Hall is on Molesworth Street, in the heart of Dublin, near the National Library. The Hall is open for guided tours, Monday to Friday and is well worth a visit. The Editor was allowed to take photos of the inside of the building (Grand Lodge Museums & Library Committee influence) and will present a Lecture on the building later this year. |
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Copyright: Lodge St Bryde No 579 Revised: November 10, 2007 .
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