Gran Master Expelled from the Masonic Lodge of Cuba

Hundreds of Masons who gathered this Sunday at the Grand Lodge of Cuba to call for an extraordinary session of the High Chamber succeeded in removing Grand Master Mayker Filema Duarte.

The man, who had refused to convene elections for the high positions of the institution, was removed from his position after 121 members of the Grand Lodge and 117 representatives of lodges from the country demanded the session, as reported by the independent media Cubanet.

Instead of Filema, they agreed to appoint the current Grand Master, Juan Alberto Kessel Linares, as Grand Master until the call for general elections in September, the independent media clarified.

A Mason interviewed by Cubanet considered the event historic and expressed that they reached that point after exhausting all legal avenues.

"We tried, through all legal means, even unconventional ones, to assert our will and respect our legislation, but Filema refused to do so. Their lack of respect became evident and, worse still, MINJUS, far from ensuring proper conduct, actually supported it and fostered an unnecessary confrontation. We, the Cuban Freemasons, are the rightful owners of this Institution and we must, above all else, adhere to our oaths and the current legislation. If the government wants to dominate us, we will not allow it," the source told Cubanet.

Mayker Filema and his officials did not attend the session; however, the lodges decided to uphold justice and put an end to the illegality of the Grand Master.

Sources also added that Filema ordered the closure of all the Lodge's locations, prompting the Freemasons to gather outside the theater, in front of the statue of Carlos Manuel de Céspedes. The session took place under strict police surveillance outside the venue.

Filema had suspended the session of the High Masonic Chamber (the legislative body of the institution) in which elections for the senior positions of the Lodge were to take place in previous weeks.

With that precedent, which, according to a report from Cubanet, extended its "dictatorship" and "the illegality within the Institution", the Freemasons decided to enforce justice.

A decree obtained by that media outlet revealed that Filema Duarte claimed that the "conditions to resume the suspended session on March 23 were not guaranteed."

In the text, he justified suspending the meeting to prevent alleged "scandals that transcend public life" and "further damage the already tarnished image of our Institution."

Previously, he warned about "personal threats" against him and announcements of "vandalistic behaviors with publicity from independent media." He believed that such acts were "inappropriate" for Freemasons and aimed to discredit the institution.

Filema Duarte was elected as Grand Master following the resignation of Mario Urquía Carreño, amid a corruption case involving the misappropriation of thousands of dollars and over 4 million pesos from the Lodge.

However, although the High Chamber established a six-month term for the position, until the holding of general elections, the Grand Master suspended the agreed-upon session.

Cubanet revealed that the Freemasons handed over documents and evidence to the Ministry of Justice to demonstrate the illegality committed by Filema Duarte in refusing to hold elections.

However, Miriam García, director of Associations at MINJUS, did not address the complaint and supported the process of Filema Duarte.

Frequently asked questions about the situation of the Grand Masonic Lodge of Cuba