What is the role of a Grand Master of Freemasonry?

It is up to the Freemasons to make Freemasonry, because it is in them that the Masonic power resides.

The Grand Master represents the “Grande Oriente Lusitano - Maçonaria Portuguesa” and tries to assure the harmony and union of the Freemasons.

Freemasonry, as an Initiatic Order, expresses itself through its competent bodies, namely the Grand Master.

When did you decide to become a Freemason and why?

One day a Freemason friend challenged me to join the Freemasonry. After some conversations, some reading, I realized that it was an initiatory order that propagated the principles of Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity, as it was concerned with reducing social inequalities.

I understood that, if I were to remain isolated, I would not have the best conditions to develop and act for the benefit of society.

What are the basic values of Freemasonry?

To defend all the conditions necessary for us to always be free, individually and collectively, in a process of constant improvement and in compliance, always, with the Laws of each State. We fight against all forms of tyranny and corruption.

Who can be a Freemason and how is the invitation to join a Masonic Lodge made?

Whoever is free and of good morals. Whoever gets along with the defense of Liberty and Freedoms that make a society more just. Who has the will, the time and the spirit for this endless walk for personal improvement and for working for the development of society.

Usually, the invitation is made by a Mason, but you can also "knock on the door".

In either case, you will be subjected to scrutiny, and if the precepts necessary to be a Mason are confirmed, we will let you in.

There is a public perception of high secrecy in Freemasonry in Portugal, that Freemasons have reservations about admitting as such. Why this secrecy? What do they fear?
Freemasonry is discreet and not secret. It is registered at the National Institute of Industrial Property, our institutions have a registered legal nature, a legal entity number. The location of its headquarters is known, complying with the Laws of the State.

Politically, where does Freemasonry fit in?

In the defense of the Freedoms that allow the individual, collective and responsible achievement and progress of humanity and of each person.

Does Freemasonry have an active role in political party life and in the State?

Freemasonry has no interference in the institutions. Freemasons, as citizens, have the same rights as anyone else.

What has been the role of Freemasonry in the recent history of Portugal?

As I said before, it is the Freemasons who make Freemasonry.

Several Freemasons, especially after April 25, 1974, have assumed important positions in the life of the country. But contrary to what is being said, out of ignorance or bad faith, it wasn't Masonry that put them there, but it was their personal merit that chose them.

Probably the most relevant achievement of a Mason was the creation of the National Health Service, whose greatest figure was António Arnaut, who was Grand Master of the Great Lusitanian Orient – Portuguese Freemasonry.

In what areas of society do Masons intervene and in what way?

At the level of thought, ideas and ideals. We intervene on the social and philanthropic level, where we have the duty to enhance our national and international intervention in a troubled and very unequal world.

In a world where extremisms seem to be gaining more prominence, what role can and should Freemasonry play?

Freemasons are bastions in the defense of the fundamental values of tolerance and freedom, which, in turn, are pillars for the development of societies and of Mankind. We represent a place to cultivate those values and we always seek our individual improvement to better transmit our values in society, regardless of where we work and as long as we remain faithful to the Masonic principles.

Your coming to the Azores means that Masonry is active in the Region?

The establishment of Freemasonry in the Azores dates back to 1792, through the establishment of a Masonic lodge in São Miguel, where the figure of Francisco António de Sousa, from Madeira, stands out. In that same year, the lodge of Horta was established, with Tomás de Ornelas Frazão as a prominent figure.

As in the rest of the country, the instauration of the military dictatorship in 1926, and particularly its more anti-parliamentary orientation from 1930 onwards, is remarkable for the decline of Azorean Masonry.

After the 25th of April, Freemasonry got organized again and new lodges emerged seeking to continue the work done before, fulfilling the purpose of allying tradition with modernity in the defense and affirmation of the values of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity and keeping alive the school of ethical and civic values that aims for the development of Azorean society.

Today there are four lodges working in the Azores, spread over three islands, and I recently consecrated a Masonic Temple in Ponta Delgada.

How are the Azorean freemasons organized?

Just like the others anywhere in the world, in Lodges.

But, as I mentioned before, as citizens, some belong to civic-cultural associations, to guilds and develop activities in them.

What role does Freemasonry play in regional society?

As we see every day, Freedoms, Equal opportunities – along with attention to what is unequal –, public health and education, are less and less guaranteed for all. In the Azores, Madeira, and on the mainland, Fraternity (which means, as António Arnaut said, solidarity with love) needs to enter the hearts of the members of a society that is progressively favoring individualism and indifference to others.

Are there Freemasons in the Azorean Diaspora? What influence can they have on the Azores and the country?

Where there is a Freemason there is Freemasonry. That is a great responsibility that each one of us carries and, in this case, depends on their connection to their places of origin; Freemasons should always affirm the Principles and Values of Freemasonry that guide their lives.

What are the main challenges that Freemasonry faces in the Azores?

The same as anywhere else, safeguarding its natural specificities: fighting against prejudice and affirming the principles of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity, affirming the right to free thought and freedom of conscience.

Has there been any evolution in Freemasonry in the archipelago?

The pandemic has produced its negative consequences, not only by affecting the health of Freemasons, but also by keeping them away from fraternal coexistence with their fellow citizens.

The work that has been done is aimed at consolidating the lodges and increasing cultural, social and philanthropic initiatives in society.

And in the country?

The harmful effects of the pandemic were also felt in the country, and the formula found was to reorganize ourselves according to the new reality, the new challenges we are facing, with the perverse consequences of the war that the Russian Federation inflicted on Ukraine.

The Grand Orient Lusitania celebrates 220 years of existence. What remains from these two centuries of activity?

Throughout almost three centuries of Freemasonry in Portugal, its History mixes with the Country's History, always reflecting the plurality that characterizes it.

I cite, as an example, some important moments:
The foundation of the Royal Academy of Sciences, with the participation of Masons such as Abbot Correia da Serra.

The construction of the constitutional regime from 1820 on, and more intensely after 1834, with the presence of freemasons in the several liberal parties and their participation in successive governments. Notable figures include José Estêvão, Duke of Loulé, Almeida Garrett.

The abolition of the Death Penalty (1867). The author of the bill was D. António Aires de Gouveia, Bishop of Bethsaida, who belonged to the Urbiónica Lodge of Coimbra.

The Civil Code of 1867, whose main author was the Viscount of Seabra, who belonged to a Masonic Lodge of Rennes, in emigration, during absolutism.

The participation of many Freemasons in the proclamation of the Republic in 1910.

The spread of education, with the creation of specific organizations, such as the Promotion Society School, at the forefront of modern pedagogy, and the Free and Popular Universities in Lisbon, Porto and Coimbra.

The creation of numerous primary schools, by initiative of Masons, such as Francisco Grandella, or of lodges that financed them. In Maputo, the first public elementary school was founded by the 1.º de Janeiro Lodge, which hired a couple of teachers to teach there.

The fight for Freedom, in many situations, at different times. Against the Military Dictatorship imposed in 1926 and during Estado Novo. Many died, others were fired, deported and imprisoned.

I'll give you another example: in the recent television series "Abandoned", one of the protagonists was Captain Pires, a resistance fighter against the Japanese, who died as a result of his injuries. What was not mentioned was that he belonged to a Masonic Triangle in Dili, founded in 1935.

We don't usually boast or publicize the good we do, but I can say that we were the first Masonic Obedience to react to the invasion and, through a partnership with a local municipality and an NGO we brought, received and integrated about 350 Ukrainians.

Does it make sense to be a Freemason these days?

Today, more than ever, it is urgent that the values we defend continue to be guaranteed. Humanity is under war: the essential rights to life, quality of life, and individual and collective freedoms are again being threatened. The cross effects of financial crises, armed conflicts, speculation, and corruption threaten the lives of many people, increase poverty, and jeopardize a life with dignity for millions of human beings.

The activity of Freemasons does not conflict with that of other social organizations. Freemasons seek to add value to what is already done and to what is done well.

Unfortunately, we are all too few to minimize the gradual suffering of the most disadvantaged members of our society.