Grande Loge de France

The Grande Loge de France (GLDF) is the second largest Masonic body in France.

History

Previous uses of the name

The Grande Loge de France was the first French masonic grand body, but its foundation date is unknown. In 1773, it gave itself a new set of Statutes and adopted the new name of Grand Orient of France. A minority of Parisian Lodges objected to one of the new Statutes' articles which stipulated that the Masters must be elected by the free choice of their Lodge and decided to keep on under the old denomination of Grande Loge de France. However both bodies re-united in 1799.

History of the current Grand Loge

The current Grande Loge de France was founded in 1894 through a decretal of the Supreme Council of France (founded in 1804) which gave their independence to the blue Lodges which had been until then under its authority. The Grand Lodge of France was never recognized by the United Grand Lodge of England. In 1954 the General Assembly (Convent) of the GLDF voted a resolution which rendered obligatory the presence of the Volume of the Sacred Law in all its Lodges. Following this, the GLDF and the GLNF entered into negotiations for a union, which ultimately failed.

In 1964, the GLDF signed a 'Treaty of Fraternal Alliance' with the GODF. Some 1,000 brethren out of a total of 8,200 left the Grande Loge de France because they disagreed with the Treaty and joined the Grande Loge Nationale Française (GLNF) in 1965. The Grand Lodge of France works the first three degrees of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite (A&ASR). As of 2008 it has approximately 800 lodges and over 30,000 members.

Grande Loge de France outside of France

Grande Loge de France has lodges in 14 countries outside of France, as a result of history (Lodges in former French colonies) or the absence of any other Grand Lodge in amity with the Grande Loge de France in the country at the time of the foundation of the Lodge.

*Belgium: One lodge in Tournai
*Cambodia: One lodge in Bangkok
*Canada: One lodge in Montreal
*Congo: Three lodges, two in Brazzaville and one in Pointe Noire
*England: One lodge in London [ [http://hiram.canalblog.com/archives/2005/02/14/313398.html The White Swan Lodge, No 1348] ]
*Israel: Two lodges, one in Jerusalem and one in Tel Aviv
*Latvia: Three lodges in Riga
*Lithuania: One lodge in Kaunas
*Madagascar: Three lodges
*Mauritius: Four lodges
*Russia: One lodge in Moscow
*Senegal: One lodge
*Spain: Two lodges, one in Barcelona and one in Madrid [ [http://www.logiagenesis.com/ Logia Genesis] ]

Confederation of the United Grand Lodges of Europe

In 2000, together with other European Grand Lodges and the "Opera" Traditional and Symbolic Grand Lodge, the GLDF formed the Confederation of the United Grand Lodges of Europe. [ [http://www.fm-fr.org/fr/spip.php?article62 Article on United Grand Lodges of Europe in "The Plumbline"] ]

The Confederation of the United Grand Lodges of Europe has 11 constituent members in 2008:
* Gran Logia de Canarias
* Grande Loge de France
* Grand Lodge of Greece A&ASR
* General Grand Lodge of Italy
* National Grand Lodge of Portugal
* National Grand Lodge of Serbia
* La Grande Loge Nationale du Liban
* National Grand Lodge of Romania
* Grande Loge traditionnelle et symbolique Opéra
* Grande Loge unie du Liban
* Sun Grand Lodge of Lebanon

Regularity

In France, there are several Grand Lodges, some of which claim to comply with the "mainstream" requirements for Masonic regularity: [ [http://www.fm-fr.org/fr/spip.php?rubrique62 French Regular and Traditional Grand Lodges] ] [ [http://www.fm-fr.org/fr/spip.php?article62 Article on United Grand Lodges of Europe in "The Plumbline"] "There are presently some 11 Grand Lodges in France, and many of these, while not considered "regular" by United States standards, have unified goals and purposes."]

* The Grande Loge de France (GLDF)
* The Grande Loge Nationale Française (GLNF)
* The "Opera" Traditional and Symbolical Grand Lodge (GLTSO) (split from the GLNF in 1958)
* The French National Lodge (LNF) founded by René Guilly in 1968

Of these four, the Grande Loge Nationale Française (GLNF), founded in 1913, is the only one which has been recognized from the time of its constitution by the United Grand Lodge of England. However, supporters of the Grand Lodge de France maintain that the United Grand Lodge of England is not the arbiter of Masonic regularity.Fact|date=October 2008

Recognition

Until the mid 1960s, GLDF was in "amity" with 17 United States Grand Lodges [ [http://bessel.org/masrec/glfderec.htm GLDF de-Recognition] ] , four of which recognized GLDF and GOF concurrently.

In the US, GLDF keeps either strong contacts or is in Amity with several Prince Hall Grand Lodges which are considered irregular by the "Mainstream" Grand Lodges and their Prince Hall counterparts. ["None of the three founding Grand Lodges [of the confederation] is currently recognized by any of the United States Grand Lodges" [http://www.fm-fr.org/fr/spip.php?article62 Article on United Grand Lodges of Europe in "The Plumbline"] ]

In June 2005, the GLNF and the GLDF took steps to improve their fraternal working relations by signing a "Protocole Administratif". The GLDF has also exchanged Treaties of Amity with the Grand Lodge of All England at York, a small group of Masons who broke away from the United Grand Lodge of England in 2007.Fact|date=October 2008

References

Bibliography

*"Connaître la Grande Loge de France", édit. Ivoire Clair, collection "Les Architectes de la Connaissance" dirigée par Philippe Morbach, Paris, 2000 ISBN 2-913882-06-4
*Daniel Ligou (dir.), "Histoire des Francs-Maçons en France", tome 2, "1815-2000", Privat, Toulouse, 2000 ISBN 2-7089-6839-4
*Roger Dachez, "Histoire de la franc-maçonnerie française", PUF, Paris, 2003 ISBN 2-13-053539-9
*Gilbert Garibal, "Être franc-maçon aujourd'hui", Marabout, Alleur (Belgique), 1994 ISBN 2-501-02029-4

External links

* [http://www.gldf.org Grande Loge of France web site]
* [http://www.fm-fr.org/fr/spip.php?rubrique8 GLDF presented by fm-fr.org]
* [http://www.fm-fr.org/fr/spip.php?rubrique58 Masonic bodies presented by fm-fr.org]
* [http://www.freemasons-freemasonry.com/bernheimfr.html]