In Depth: Masonic rites and rituals have fascinated outsiders for centuries
The Eye of Providence is part of the iconography of the Freemasons
Reports that two Freemason lodges are operating in the heart of Westminster, with MPs among their members, are a conspiracy theorist’s dream come true.
The suggestion that politicians, judges and police could be members of the secretive society has long raised concerns about transparency and nepotism.
However, David Staples, the chief executive of the United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE), insists that freemasonry is “positive for both [members] as individuals, and for society at large”.
So what are the Freemasons and what do they do?
What are the Freemasons?
Freemasonry is believed to have its roots in medieval trade guilds. These professional and social associations were particularly important for stonemasons, who frequently travelled to work, says the BBC.
Secret handshakes, code words and symbols helped foster mutual trust among members - and gave freemasonry an aura of mystery that it retains today.
By 1717, when four London lodges joined to form what is now the United Grand Lodge of England, freemasonry had evolved into a more general fraternal organisation, open to all professions.
According to the UGLE, there are more than 200,000 Freemasons under the United Grand Lodge of England, another 150,000 in the Grand Lodge of Ireland - which covers Northern Ireland, the Republic, and Scotland - and about six million Freemasons worldwide.
The majority of lodges practice what they refer to as Anglo-American, or “regular”, freemasonry, open to men of “good repute” who profess a belief in a “Supreme Being” of any denomination.
The three core principles of freemasonry are brotherhood, truth - meaning high moral standards - and relief, or charity. The United Grand Lodge of England alone says it raises more than £33m a year for charities.
What happens inside a Masonic lodge?
Routine Masonic lodge meetings are broadly similar to a rotary club or parish council - a register is called, minutes are taken, and updates on charitable and social events are shared and discussed.
However, it is the society’s mysterious ceremonies that have captured the public imagination for centuries.
Members are initiated as an “entered apprentice”, eventually passing to “Fellowcraft”, before finally acquiring the experience and knowledge of the society’s dogma and rituals to be named a “Master Mason”.
According to the Grand Lodge of Scotland, a “series of ritual dramas” is used to teach members the precepts of freemasonry, which include an allegorical founding myth linking the order to the biblical Great Temple.
“You come into life with absolutely nothing, and that is what the initiation is about,” senior Mason Nigel Brown told The Daily Telegraph. “The second play is about living a good life and the third is about preparing for the end of your life.”
Masonic rituals also feature symbols depicting masonry tools such as the square, compass and apron, as well as the famous all-seeing eye symbol, widely associated with freemasonry.
Are Freemasons connected to the Illuminati?
In conspiracy circles, “Freemason” and “Illuminati” are often used interchangeably to refer to the “new world order”, the shadowy cabal of powerful figures who supposedly direct global affairs.
Beyond a shared interest in ritual and symbolism, however, there is no clear connection between freemasonry and the Illuminati, a short-lived order founded in 18th century Bavaria. The association of the two may have arisen because Illuminati recruited many members from Masonic lodges, Vox reports.
Although the order’s rules prohibit Freemasons from using their membership for personal or professional gain, their influence in the UK’s public institutions - particularly the justice system - has been questioned.
Shortly after stepping down as Police Federation chairman in December 2017, Steve White told The Guardian that reforms to policing culture, including better representation of women and ethnic minorities, were being obstructed by Freemasons in the force. “The people who blocked progress at the Police Federation were all Masons... and they were all a pain in the arse,” White said.
“Concerns have been expressed about the Masons’ impact upon the make-up of the force for several decades,” says Vice News.
UGLE rejects as “laughable” suggestions that there is a Masonic influence over the police or any other institution.
But, says Vice, “until the organisation opens up, for many, that suspicion isn’t going anywhere”.