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Le Droit Humain # 37 InternatIonal Special International Convention 2012 — EN ordre Maçonnique Mixte International Le Droit Humain Le Droit Humain #37 Special Issue on the International Convention held at les Salons de l’aveyron, Paris from 16 to 20 May 2012 edition: Communication Commission February 2013 INDEX Opening speech of the XIV International Convention 4 Most Illustrious Sister Danièle Juette Past Grand Master and Sovereign Grand Commander of the Order Impressions on the International Convention 10 Sister Jóhanna Sigurjónsdóttir Icelandic federation A harmonious Babel 14 Brother Luis Alberto Acebal Argentinian jurisdiction Memories and experiences 18 Brother Pedro-José Vila Spanish federation Report from Australia 22 Most Illustrious Sister Laura R. Ealey Australian federation Closing speech of the XIV International Convention 24 Most Illustrious Sister Yvette Ramon Grand Master and Sovereign Grand Commander of the Order OpenIng speeCh oF the XIV InternatIonal ConVentIon — V.·. Ill.·. s.·. DanIèle Juette Past grand Master and Sovereign grand Commander of the order My Sisters and Brothers in your various degrees and capacities, It is a deeply emotional moment to see us all gathered here, arriving as we have from our various Orients for this, the 14th International Convention of our Order. It is an exceptional moment of coming together, enabling us to experience universal brotherhood first hand. This is what our founders wished for. In creating our Order, by way of the Declaration of Principles and the first three Articles of our International Con- stitution, they expressed the desire that our meetings and exchanges should take place marked not by religious, ethnic or national identity but simply by our common humanity. And for that reason, they wished for an Order that, first and foremost, is essentially initia- tory in character, one that is actively working, here and now, at the heart of our shared human experience. The aim was and is to bring different people together that they might reflect and act more effectively, one with the other, for the mutual benefit of their own in- dividual, spiritual development and for society in general. That is, to actively work to build a society of universal brotherhood. To accomplish this task, they chose a rite, the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite. This was not a random choice, for the rite is a fusion of diverse traditions in which no single one is given pride of place. It opens up a broad field of knowledge, understanding and reflection capable of uniting human beings of various faiths, beliefs and philosophies around univer- sal, humanist values. This is why the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite is the constitutional rite of our Order. It enables all Sisters and Brothers in the Orients throughout the world to work to- gether in their lodges, be they atheistic, agnostic, deistic, theistic, of no religion or adher- ing to all religions. In this connection, I would like to remind you that ours is not a deistic Order. It is inadmissible, in breach of the International Constitution, for lodges within our Order to make a belief in God or in a Supreme Being a condition for admission. On the contrary, our International Constitution obliges us to respect human dignity by recognising every hu- man being’s right to enjoy a freedom of conscience. It is on this principle that our Order was founded and its international dimension established. During the first International Convention in 1920, The V.·. Ill.·. Bro.·. Goaziou, M.·. P.·. G.·. C.·. of the American Federa- tion, said “...for the first time, delegates who not only came from far-away countries and spoke different languages but also held, one might say, opposing religious and political opinions came together to set out a Declaration of Principles and an International Consti- tution that would unite them in a common endeavour...” The Declaration and the International Constitution of 2007 have remained identical in spirit to those drawn up in 1920. That is why the Declaration of Principles and the first three Articles of our Consti- tution serve as a signpost for each and every member of the Order. They set out in plain language the task that lies before us: To ensure that the values enshrined in our motto of “Liberty-Equality-Fraternity” become a true reality both within Freemasonry and in the world outside of the lodge. The aim is that men and women throughout the world should enjoy social justice in equal measure as human beings organised into free and fraternal so- LE DROIT HUMAIN / 5 cieties. To attain this goal, the Order adopts a ritual, symbolic method of working by means of which members build their own Temple to the perfection and glory of Mankind. To carry out this task, we have only to perfect our own ashlars, bearing in mind that, as Freemasons, we are at one and the same time both the ashlar itself and the path lead- ing to that ashlar’s being perfected. It is within the symbolic lodge that we are invited to journey forward with ourselves for company, for it is here that a truly liberating relation- ship develops. This is the crucible in which nigredo, “blackening or nothingness,” takes place. Masonic labour is not being privy to a few revelations of a mystical nature but, more fundamentally, pursuing a quest for one’s own humanity. The true Masonic secret is to be found in the heart of each Mason where it will slowly, endlessly evolve. It lies at the heart of life in the symbolic lodge, in the regular brotherly confrontation of one Mason with another. This is why we need to remain vigilant regarding the work carried out in our symbolic lodges, for it is on their vitality that the future of the Order depends. In this connection, I would like to mention a problem that arises all too often: the race by certain Sisters and Brothers to take the Higher Degrees as quickly as possible, with little regard for the initia- tory aspect. Wearing a Higher Degree collar, especially parading it around, in particular, outside the lodge appropriate to the degree in question, does not automatically mean that the wearer is a grand initiate with power over Entered Apprentices, Fellow-Crafts or Mas- ter Masons. Given our initiatory continuum, such attitudes are destructive. Members of the Higher Degree lodges may and must be visible only by the example they set, not be- cause of any regalia they may wear in an ostentatious fashion. The Higher Degrees are scales that reflect nothing but the amount of work devoted to perfecting oneself. No degree, as such, confers power; only duly-elected officers have the authority to carry out specific functions on behalf of the Order and of our federations and lodges, both near and far. The Supreme Council elected at the International General Assembly in 2007 endeav- oured to fulfil its mandate to the best of its ability and to live up to the oaths taken by all the Grand Inspectors General. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Supreme Council members who devoted themselves unsparingly to the various –and not always sim- ple– tasks entrusted to them. Those who are leaving office at the same time, as I am, will have the pleasure of working once again in their own lodges and, especially, to pursue their unending initiatory work. During the past five years, the rate at which our Order has grown varied from one country to another. Several Federations, Jurisdictions and Pioneer Lodges have seen their memberships steadily grow, while others remained static or even regressed. From visits to different Orients and from studying the annual reports of the Federations, Jurisdic- tions and Pioneer Lodges, it seems that those which progressed are those who concern themselves with modern-day problems. Groups who have stagnated or gone backwards undoubtedly will need to ponder over this loss of momentum, because lack of growth con- stitutes a danger at both the material and spiritual levels. And though external factors may have a role to play, it would be a mistake to overlook any internal factors involved or fail to reflect on one’s working methods in according to the time in which we live. LE DROIT HUMAIN / 7 Among the assignments carried out by the Grand Master and members of the Supreme Council, workshops are organised to reflect on these problems. These assignments enable fruitful exchanges, with the Orient playing host to Brothers and Sisters from neighbour- ing countries, through which an enriching, energising dialogue becomes possible. At the request of Sisters and Brothers, members of the Supreme Council are also available for lectures as well as meetings with journalists (written press, radio, television, etc.). The in- tercontinental colloquia organised with the support of the Supreme Council also prove to be memorable moments for the participants. The Supreme Council has been keen to work hand in hand with the Pioneer lodges: in lodge meetings or in discussions on administrative and initiatory topics. Pioneer lodges and Jurisdictions with ongoing projects have received financial assistance from the Su- preme Council. During some of our visits we have noticed how poorly the structures of the Order are understood, owing largely to a lack of knowledge of the International Constitution, not all members having a copy. It is, therefore, worth recalling that every member of the Order should receive the International Constitution along with the Regulations immediately fol- lowing initiation. Exchanges among Sisters and Brothers from different Orients are vital. Although modern means of communication have made it far easier to exchange views from a dis- tance, there are still not enough moving spirits acting as go-betweens amongst different areas, who all too often still know so little about each other.