14ymedio, 9 April 2024, Havana — The crisis that Cuban Freemasonry has been going through for several months was not resolved on March 24, during the session of the Grand Lodge that promised to sort out the leadership. Expelled from the lodge that day, former Grand Master Mario Urquía Carreño now publishes a document in which – supported by a series of decisions of the Ministry of Justice – he deems as ineffective both his removal from office and the election of the new Masonic leader, in what he describes as a “coup d’état” against him.
Among the measures taken by the Ministry of Justice “to avoid further breaches” are the blocking of bank accounts, the prohibition of carrying out activities and issuing official documents, and the suspension of the Grand Lodge – not so of the individual lodges in the country – from the registry of the Office of Associations, the ruling body in which the activities of Cuban Freemasonry are inscribed.
In his counterattack, published by Cubanet, Urquía Carreño continues to sign as Grand Master of the order and describes a meeting with officials of the Ministry of Justice, on April 4, in which he was allegedly informed that the Office of Associations did not have a record of the March 24 session.
The absence of that document, argues Urquía Carreño, results in the lack of recognition, by the Ministry of Justice, of everything that happened there
The absence of that document, argues Urquía Carreño, results in the lack of recognition, by the Ministry of Justice, of everything that happened there, including the election of the new Grand Master, Juan Alberto Kessel Linares, which is not “validated” by the regime. “I am surprised that the jurisdiction has not yet been informed of something so delicate for our Freemasonry,” says Urquía Carreño, who alleges that the session was “unconstitutional” and that is why the minutes were not sent to the Ministry.
Until the Ministry of Justice gives the go-ahead, says Urquía Carreño, the best thing is “to not continue adopting decisions” and warns that if the authorities are contradicted, there will surely be “more drastic and harmful measures” because – as he emphasizes on several occasions – for the regime, he is still the Grand Master.
