ANGELS OR DEMONS?

Paul Needle lifts the lid on Freemasonry on the Costa Azahar

Freemasonry is not a normal topic of conversation in the bars of the Valencian coastal towns but for that matter nor is the tragic and horrendous civil war in Spain some 75 years ago. There is a link between the two topics as histories of the Spanish Civil War reveal that General Franco was fiercely opposed to– Communists and Freemasons – an odd and unlikely combination.

One apocryphal story says the General  had applied to become a Mason and was rejected so he took his revenge later. It is more certain that in the suspicious climate of Spain in the 1930’s any group that met behind closed doors could be seen as a threat. Masons in the Province of Valencia would strongly deny that they are a secret society – most of them are open and proud about their membership and the recently formed Lodge of San Jordi which meets in Alcala de Xivert has attracted a waiting list of potential new members.

There are a few freemasons lodges where most members are Spanish and ceremonies are conducted in Spanish or Catalan but many more English speaking lodges cater for masons who have moved to live in Spain and wanted to continue their interests here. That is how the San Jordi Lodge was formed and officially initiated in Benicarlo almost three years ago.

W. Bro. Dilwyn Phillips of Old Tower Lodge No. 49, a published author in Wales, has written a Masonic Joke book to raise money for Charity. The project is supported by Old Tower Lodge and the PGM has written the foreword. The book is now available at a cost of 10 Euros with all profits going to Masonic Charities.

Dilwyn can be contacted at  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  if you want to buy a copy