Romanian Masons Dismiss Their Grand Master

07.08.2020 ZF English

• Radu Bălănescu and his team have been removed from the management of NGLR

• The decision of the Special Commission was taken unanimously

• The President of the Commission is the author of the NGLR Constitution

Information from inside the Grand National Lodge of Romania - NGLR - confirms that there has been another dramatic episode of the conflict that has been shaking the organization for months. For a better understanding, a brief recap is necessary.

The Grand Master's recent decisions have provoked a wave of domestic discontent with international echoes.

If the Romanian Masons accuse Radu Bălănescu of violating the Masonic Constitution, abusing his powers and express suspicions of financial fraud, the foreign ones warned him in writing, with unprecedented harshness, that his actions contravene "Regularity". That is, the principles, procedures and old custom, without which Masonry cannot truly be considered masonry in any country in the world. The Executive Secretary of the World Conference of The Grand Regular Lodges returned to him as a warning, publicly and officially, the honorary title once received from Balănescu. His gesture was followed, one by one, by other Grand Masters from all over the world. Embarrassing for Radu Bălănescu, but also shameful for Romania, which he claims to defend. (SEE letters from the Grand Lodges of Pennsylvania, Michigan, New Jersey, Spain)

As we have already informed you, in recent weeks the Special Commission, the body provided for by the Constitution and the NGLR Regulation, has been set up according to paragraph 9.4 of the chapter "Masonic Justice", providing precisely for such situations. The Special Commission consists of prominent figures of the organization, founding members of the NGLR, who elected as their Chairman precisely the author of the Constitution, himself an Honorary Grand Master. (Original Document and Translation HERE)

The first decision of the Special Commission was to suspend Radu Bălănescu from office, constitutionally, in order to investigate any abuses alleged by the members. He not only kept his suspension from the other members secret, but disputed the Commission's legality: first he "excommunicated" all its members, then he pretended that they had no right to investigate him, as they were ..."excommunicated".

Since then, in a Ceausescu-like reflex, he has been relying on the more than 94 percent of the vote with which, through the apathy of the members, he was elected a few years ago. But the brethren realize more and more that the vote was not given to him to disregard the Masonic Constitution, quite the contrary. On June 29th, the Special Commission met and waited for the accused, who did not appear. After deliberations, the commission decided to dismiss Radu Bălănescu as Grand Master and some of his close associates from the key positions of the organization. The decision, taken by unanimous vote, is final. (Original Document and Translation HERE) Among the few NGLR members we asked to comment on the news, opinions are still divided, with some accusing the lack of information due to the concealment of the facts. But everyone agrees with one thing: it is extremely sad that it had to come to this. Everyone deplores the feud between brothers and the damage of image at international level. A resignation of Radu Bălănescu after ten years in office, the longest Masonic reign in the world, would have solved the situation elegantly and dignifiedly. But it wasn't like that. The privileges and the material, relational and career advantages he enjoyed for so many years in the position of self-styled "head of the Romanian Masonry", weighed for him more than honor. It is rumored that he will still not admit his defeat, perhaps citing, according to a newer custom of his, that he has high political support as well as the support of the two heads of certain institutions outside (?) of the Masonry.

In the meantime, the Special Commission is to convene an "extraordinary convent" as soon as possible, i.e. an election congress, to give the NGLR Masons the opportunity to decide on a new leadership. The date will be chosen according to the evolution of the health situation in Romania, in the context of the limitation of public assemblies due to the Covid-19 epidemic. What is certain from now on, however, is that the new leaders to be elected will have to prove democratic and constitutional domestically and as regular internationally. Radu Bălănescu's actions aroused, not only among Romanian Masons, a vigilant suspicion.

Still, the damage done by the university professor doctor director president grand master Radu Bălănescu leaves a stain on the image of Romanian Masonry internally and the image of Romania globally, an evil that can only be cured by another doctor, one with far fewer rattling titles: time.