Centenary of the Portuguese Republic

This 31st January, the official commemorations of the centenary of the foundation of the Republic in Portugal were initiated in Oporto with the presence of the top Portuguese authorities. Freemasonry has been associated with the events that lead to the installation of the Republic in Portugal and that participation is something that make Portuguese Freemasons proud of as in its founding values the value of Freedom is always present. The republican movement in Portugal was part of the liberal uprising in all Europe and should be understood in that context. So, one and for all, should be clear that Freemasons as Freethinkers and militants of freedom are where the struggle to preserve the values of Freedom and Motherland is required.
For reasons concerning the history of Freemasonry in Portugal, the Grand Orient Lusitano was deeply involved in those events and made of that participation a case of honor and pride. Institutions are made of history; it is important for Regular Freemasons to acknowledge the contribution all Freemasons have made to the history of our Republic. Nevertheless, the values and the heritage of the Republic are not an exclusive of anyone, either parties, political groups, or Masonic Obediences.
In this sense, Luz do Oriente regards the history of our Republic and the contribution of the Sons of the Widow to that endeavor as part of the history of Regular Freemasonry in Portugal and our individual history. This legacy is something that we, as proud patriots, cherish and esteem. The identity of the Republic is not be used for political or factional purposes; is something that unite us, not divide us.
Honoring the Freemasons and Men of Liberty that felt, one hundred years ago, for the Republic, the Master of the Lodge will use one of the following ordinary sessions to signalize the significance of those events as part of the history of contemporary Portugal and of us, Portuguese, as People.