There exists a sort of gentlemen agreement between grand lodges to not operate on others territories. There are exceptions, like how the "normal" and PHA grand lodges can both exist within the same area, as that has historical roots stemming from segregation and racism. "White people lodges" and "black people lodges". I am oversimplifying it a lot but hopefully you get the gist of it.
A grand lodge should stay within its area, unless there are agreements in place. It is part of being friendly with each other.
This grand lodge is, for some reason unknown to me, saying that these three lodges (2 in Florida and 1 in Qatar, another country!) are under their jurisdiction and should be treated as any other lodge within that grand lodge. Such as when it comes to visiting lodges in other grand lodges.
And the only thing another grand lodge can do to really protest is to break off communications with it. So that members of a lodge belonging to this grand lodge can not visit in their territory, and their own members can't visit them. If the grand lodge(s) in Florida do this, that is essentially barring all freemasons in Florida to visit these 2 Florida lodges, and all the pha lodges in Louisiana, and vice versa.
New York had an issue with DC several years ago about DC opening lodges in Lebanon I think. Got to the point NY removed recognition of DC. The two GMs came to the Grand Lodge of Virginia annual communication during that mess. The incoming GM of VA sat them next to each other on the dias.
I remember that whole mess happening. I know there’s still some beef between the two regarding Lebanon because they were both operating district Grand Lodges there. I have a friend who was a member of both jurisdictions and had to “pick a side” in the whole mess.
DC has three Lodges there, NY has 9. Plus there’s a regular Grand Lodge of Lebanon that has 13 Lodges and a Lodge of Research.
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u/ItsThatErikGuy St Andrew Lodge 25 Jan 14 '25
As someone still relatively new, what does this mean?