1705 The self-styled “Ordre du Temple”, founded in France in 1705, -after a certain silence of almost 400 years-, claimed to be the continuation of the medieval Knights Templar, using the “Larmenius Charter” (a separate, detailed article, concerning the “Larmenius Charter of Transmission” -considered to be one of the greatest forgery of History-, will be presented later) as evidence of its pedigree.
[Personal research at the “Bibliothèque Nationale “ and the “National Archives of France” could not find documents concerning the meeting in Versailles and also no trace of “Statutes”. This document will be only published in 1840 in Brussels.]
Based on this same false, apocrypha document, the Order of the Temple, was officially “reconstituted” in 1804 by Doctor Bernard Raymond Fabré-Pralapat, and recognized as an Order of Chivalry by its patron Napoleon Bonaparte in 1805.
1715 After becoming regent of France, Philip, the Duke of Orleans, a contested, strange personality, became involved in the military orders within France. His legitimate son became the Grand Master of the “Order of Mount Carmel and Lazarus”, while an illegitimate son became a Knight Hospitaler and Grand Prior for the Order in France. The Duke of Orléans appears also as “Grand Master of the Templars”. The "restorers" of the “Order of the Temple”, will claim in 1804 that the Templars had survived after 1314 with secret Grand Masters, including the Duke of Orleans. According to them the Templars now ended their hidden existence, holding a Convent General at Versailles that issued the Statutes of 1705. The personality of the Duke of Orléans is controverted, not always in an advantageous position!
1705-1890 Several authors of the XXth Century -confirmed historians-, testimony, in their studies of the different aspects of the existence of the “Order of the Temple”, that for this period they didn't find any documentation concerning the following 2 historical periods 1314 to 1705 at first and 1705 to 1804 as second.
1717 In London, Freemasonry began its institutional history with the combination of four small lodges into the “Grand Lodge of England”.
1730 Scottish Freemasonry had spread to France as a political force dedicated to the restoration of the Stuarts as rulers of England and Scotland. Evident influence of Templar historical details.
1736 Andrew Michael Ramsay, a Scottish Freemason in Paris , delivered a speech in which he claimed that Masonry began in the Holy Land among the crusaders. Now Masonic lodges began to adopt rituals and symbols associated with the Hospitalers and the Templars.
1750 In the fifties a German nobleman, Baron Karl von Hund, who had associated with Masonic leaders in Paris, claimed a "new" form of Freemasonry, directly descendant from the Templars. His “Strict Observance” brought much of the occult, the magical and the mystical into Freemasonry, much of which was claimed to have come from the Templars. To support this claim, he provided a list of "secret grand masters" centered on Scotland, who ruled the Order, now gone underground, since the execution of James of Moley/Molay.
1791 During the French Revolution, the “Order of Mount Carmel and Lazarus” and the “Hospitaler Grand Priory” were abolished.
1804 Doctor Bernard-Raymond Fabre-Palaprat "restored" an Order of the Temple. He claimed discovery of documents, including not only a list of "Secret" Grand Masters since 1314 to the French Revolution, but the Larmenius' Charter of Transmission from 1314 and The Statutes of 1705; all to prove that the Order had legitimate continuation from the medieval Templars. Fabre-Palaprat was recognized as "the 45th Grand Master." Napoleon Bonaparte, newly proclaimed Emperor, supported this restoration. Efforts were made to recruit members from the nobility and notables of the Empire.
1808 This new Order of the Temple revealed its existence publicly at a grand ceremony at the Church of St. Paul in Paris, designed to honour James of Molay and other martyrs of the Order. Doctor Fabré-Pralapat exhibited for the first time the “Original of the “Charter of Transmission”. Wide ulterior multifaceted research proved that the -by doctor Fabré-Pralapat presented- document was an enormous forgery!
1810 Deprived of authentic historical knowledge, a great number of persons adhered to the new organization! The success of recruitment resulted in Commanderies and Priories being established throughout Napoleon's European Empire.
1811 A schism -the first from a long list of ruptures-, erupted, when Fabre-Palaprat revised the Statutes to give himself complete authority over the order. The Duke of Choiseul led the dissenters.
1812 A compromise was reached which allowed Fabre-Palaprat to resign as Grand Master and the Duke of Choiseul to be chosen as the new Grand Master. Fabre-Palaprat, regretting his resignation, was able by political manoeuvring to return as Grand Master. Once more the Templars split, with Fabre-Palaprat's adversaries choosing Charles-Louis Le Peletier, Count of Aunay, as Grand Master. The Bourbon King, Louis XVIII gave the Fabre-Palaprat Templars his royal protection, fearing various groups opposed to the restored monarchy. This encouraged a reunion of the Templars with the resignation of the count of Aunay for the good and peace of the order. It appeared that the British admiral and francophile Sir William Sidney-Smith, who had fought in the naval war against Napoleon, played an important role in this reconciliation. He seemed to have had a Masonic connection with the Rose Croix, heading a Grand Priory in England.
1820 Sir Walter Scott wrote “Ivanhoe”, a largely spread and known romance, which along with “The Talisman” further "disfigured" the medieval Templars, portraying them as greedy, lecherous, tainted with heresy, and subverting the crusades for their own ends. His works would have a major impact on the English and American view of the Templars.
1825 The Grand Priory of Belgium was founded in Paris due to the efforts of the Marquis Albert-Francois du Chasteleer, a close friend of Fabre-Palaprat, who become First Prior.
1830 Fabre-Palaprat and French Templars supported the revolution against Charles X, who had threatened to return absolute monarchy to France. Templars also supported the Belgian revolt against Dutch control, resulting in the independence of Belgium as a kingdom in 1831.
1833 Having adopted certain Johannite beliefs, Fabre-Palaprat began to impose them on the French Templars, further changing the rules and rituals. When he proclaimed himself the Sovereign Pontiff and Patriarch of the Johannite church and demanded all the Templars accept his "new faith", the result was another schism.
1837 In poor health Fabre-Palaprat retired to the south of France. Dissident Templars, seized the opportunity and established an Executive Commission that called for a Convent General.
1838 The death of Fabre-Palaprat in February cleared the way for reform and reunion. The Convent General met and formed a new Executive Commission. Since the Statutes of 1705 had been "corrupted" under Fabre-Palaprat, the Convent General approved a new set of documents that removed the Johannite influence and "renewed the knightly traditions and obedience to the Catholic Church." A dispute over leadership rose, when Sir William Sidney-Smith, the English Grand Prior, was chosen as Grand Master. French Templars, who refused to recognize him (perhaps because of his Masonic connection), continued to choose regents, beginning with the Count of Moreton and of Chabrillan. Despite the internal divisions there were some 78 Priories and 400 Commanderies spread across Europe, northern Africa, and South America. Reacting to the confusion in Paris, non-French Priories became autonomous.
1840 Publication in Brussels of the “Statutes of the Order of the Temple”, decided by the Convent of Versailles in 1705!
1845 During the regency of Jean-Marie Raoul, The Prince de Chimay was sent to Rome to gain papal recognition for the Templars. Pope Gregory XVI (1831-1846) required that all Templars be Roman Catholics. Still talks continued until ended by the Revolutions of 1848.
[General consideration: I consider being without historical interest, to follow the constitution, the divergences and the disappearance of most of this different branches of Templar organizations, issued or based on the “Charter of Transmission of Larmenius”! We will remind only a certain number of facts as far as in relation with the apparition and the evolution of the “Ordre Souverain et Militaire du emple de Jérusalem OSMTJ”, after the Second World War.]
1853 The Regent, Narcisse Valleray, requested official recognition from Emperor Napoleon III. The Order was recognized and its members allowed to wear their insignia within France.
1865 The Belgium Grand Priory split, with the “Catholics” forming the Priory of St. John d'Hiver, and the "Secular" Templars established the Priory of the Trinity of the Tower, that adopted the Strict Observance Freemasonry of the Baron von Hund.
1868 Due to the inactivity of the French Templars under the Regent, A.G.M. Vernois, Prosper Beechman, the Belgian Grand Prior tried to restore the International Order despite serious divisions between the English, French and German priories. He convoked a Chapter General that recognized him as the Guardian of the Grand Magisterium of the Order.
The War of 1870 caused a rupture between the French and German priories.
1877 After the death of Vernois, Felix Champion de Villeneuve assumed the title Gardien du Souverain Magistere since no agreement could be reached to hold a Chapter General to choose a new Regent.
1890 By this year the Catholic Priory had vanished, while
A un By this year the Catholic Priory had vanished, while the "Secular" Priory contitablished in Brussels to exercise the Magist
1894 under the Regency of Joseph Peladan, an International Secretariat of the Templars was established in Brussels to exercise the Magisterial authority.
1930 The last chapter of the “Trinity of the Tower” was held with the Prior Emile Briffaut proposing the abolition of the priory. Two years later, the documents associated with the Palaprian Templar Rite, were delivered to Brussels.
1932 Nine Templars re-established the Grand Priory of Belgium under the Regency of Théodore Covias followed by Clément Emile Isaac Vandenberghe. At the first chapter, the Grand Priory was chosen along with the name: The Sovereign and Military Order of the Temple of Jerusalem.
The Grand Priory of Belgium receives the legal statute allowed by the Belgian law from 1921. Published in “Moniteur Belge no. 81.
1933 Members of the “Belgian Grand Priory” restored an international association of Templar Grand Priories. A Magisterial Council was formed with Theodore Covias as Regent.
1934 Emile-Isaac Vandenberg became Regent and Guardian of the Order. He devoted his energy and talent to revitalizing the Templars across Europe. This included the Grand Priory of Switzerland.
1942 Fearing the suppression of the Templars during the occupation of Belgium in the Second World War, Vandenberg transferred the archives of the order to the care of the Portuguese Grand Prior, Antonio Campello de Sousa Fontes.
1945 After the War's end the Regent, Vandenberg, requested the return of the Archives, but de Sousa Fontes ignored all requests that quickly became demands.
Antonio Campello Pinto de Sousa Fontes (1878-1960) claimed that the OSMTH was the continuation of l'Ordre du Temple, Fernando Campello Pinto Pereira de Sousa Fontes (b. 1930) succeeded his father as the head of the order in 1960.
When Vandenberg died suddenly from an accident, de Sousa Fontes assumed the title of Regent. The result was a divided International Order.
[To be underlined the fact that, progressively, after the Second World War, confusion and hesitation characterized the Templer life! Progressively, partially as followers of the evolution of the OSMTH and partially as consequences of the constitution of new structures, the Templar life new a revival as well as a reinforcement of a separation between groups of persons searching for ideals and for a pacific life, after the dramatic issue of the beginning of the XXth Century and of the terrible lost of human lifes after the First and especially the Second World War.]
1947 Statutes were issued by de Sousa Fontes, which appeared to be an updating of the Statutes of 1705. It remains unclear whether they were approved by a Convent General.
1948 His son, Fernando Campello de Sousa Fontes, was designated as heir and Regent.(Notice that for the first time in the History of the “Order of the Temple”, an hereditary system of transmission of the Magistracy was instituted by the will of a single person!)
1952-1956 A certain number of persons from the military and civilian life, who has fought as resistants against Nazism, (Antoine Zdrojewski, Georges Lamirand, Alfred Zapelli, etc.), formed a group of researchers and activists which started an approach to the Templar Organization OSMTH.
1959 Spanish Templars under Prince Guillermo de Grau-Moctezuma-Rife separated from the Order Souza-Fontes.
1960 Fernando Campello de Sousa Fontes became Regent upon the death of his father. He adopted the title of Prince Regent.
1962 The American Grand Priory, having evolved out of the Autonomous Grand Priory of Switzerland, was established and incorporated under the State of New Jersey. The Prince Regent, de Souza Fontes, recognized the American Grand Priory.
1964 Peter II, former king of Yugoslavia, became the Royal Patron of the American Grand Priory. After his death in 1970, this position remained vacant.
1966 The “Ordre Souverain et Militaire du Temple de Jérusalem. Grand Priory of Switzerland” presented his “Charter” and “Regulations” to the Swiss authorities and was registered in Geneva, in accordance with the Articles 60 to 79 of the CC of Switzerland; Swiss Reg No: CH-660.1.972777-4.
The group of Templars following General Zdrojevski, approached the Swiss Grand Priory, also maintaining a certain autonomy! Dissensions with Souza Fontes became evident because of his progressive dictatorial acting and also because of the installation of an hereditary system of transmission of the Magistracy of the OSMTH!
1970 Grand Priors who had not accepted the de Sousa Fontes observance, met in Paris to restore an International Association. At the General Chapter Antoine Zdrojewski was elected as Grand Master. This fact is also described in a Belgium document.
1971 The Prince Regent OSMTH, de Sousa Fontes, called as reprisals his own Convent General, which met in three sessions: Paris; Chicago, Illinois ; and a 4th in Tomar, Portugal in 1973. Various resolutions were passed at the Chicago session, which declared the Order "universal and not limited to any one nationality or language," recognized Latin as "the official language " of the Order and authorized a search for "a member of a hereditary house for Grand Master..." In the final session it was agreed that the seat of the Order would be the residence of the Grand Master or Prince Regent, and that the word Catholic has to be replaced by Christian, making the Templars a "Christian Order."
1973 In autumn, General Antoine Zdrojevski (Zdrojevski was a member of the Polish Resistance against Nazism in Occupied France and after 1945 a minister of the Polish Government in exile.), sustained by a chosen group of ancient resistant to Nazism system, carried out a reorganization of his Templar organization, the “Ordre Souverain et Militaire du Temple de Jérusalem OSMTJ” and a reform of the Statutes. Each member Grand Priory was recognized as autonomous. No uninterrupted filiation of Grand Masters after 1312 was recognized.
Fontes’s failed attempt to have the election of General Zdrojevski results nullified, what caused a split in the OSMTH. Some of the Grand Priories, including the French, Belgian, Swiss, and Polish, followed the newly elected General Zdrojewski, and some stayed with the defeated Fontes. Alfred Zapelli (Grand Prior of Switzerland), General Georges de Bruyn (Grand Prior of Belgium),) etc. were also backers of General Zdrojewski. After the election of Zdrojewski, our branch, became known as “Ordre Souverain et Militaire du Temple de Jérusalem OSMTJ” OSMTJ (or “OSMTJ-Zdrojewski”). Those who continued to follow de Sousa Fontes were known as OSMTH (or “OSMTH-Regency”). “OSMTJ” is the French acronym for, “Ordre Souverain et Militaire du Temple de Jérusalem”. “OSMTH” is the Latin translation of that: “Ordo Supremus Militaris Templi Hierosolymitani” (“Hierosolymitani” means “Jerusalem”) The Swiss Grand Priory accepted the reformed OSMTJ statutes in 1973 while the Belgian and United States Grand Priories accepted them in 1975.
1974 The modified, adjourned, “Regulations” of the OSMTJ, accepted by the National Council of the Order during his sitting on the 28th of September 1974, were published in the Bulletin no. 2 of the Grand Priory of Switzerland OSMTJ.
It is the date of the start of the absolutely independent march of the OSMTJ, fundamentally opposite to the basic concepts and structure of the OSMTH.
By this date, the OSMTJ comprised 9 National Grand “Baillages” (Priories).
1975 a Belgian Grand Chapter accepted the reformed Statutes.
1976 On date of January 12th, the Grand Priory of Belgium is mentioned in “Moniteur Belge 1089 and follower”.
1986 General Zdrojewski issued a “Charter of Transmission” that gave authority to Georges Lamirand, the Grand Seneschal, and designated him as his successor. Short time later General Zdrojewski resigned, for health reasons. By the meeting of the Grand Ballifs in Marcinelle (Belgium), the essay to elect a new Master, failed. Professor Dr. Nicolas Haimovici Hastier was elect Grand Commander OSMTJ.
It was precised that the Grand Master (Grand Prior International) is in charge with the organization and administration of the OSMTJ while the Grand Commander is in charge with historical and cultural tasks.
1987 General Zdrojevski resigned from his Magistracy at the OSMTJ. Minister Georges Lamirand is elect Grand Master OSMTJ. The International Federative Alliance (IFA) of Templar Priories was formed to promote cooperation and unity. Spanish and Portuguese Priories provided the main support.
1988 19th - 20th February. The International Counsel of the OSMTJ approves the modified “Charter” and “Regulations”. Publication in the Bulletin of the Grand Priory of Switzerland, the official printing of the OSMTJ.
18th September, Grand Master Lamirand names professor Dr. Nicolas Haimovici Hastier “Guardian of the Templar Faith”, in charge also with the History of the Order.
1989 Meeting in Nice, called by the Grand Commander OSMTJ. The health of Master Lamirand is poor, the new trial to elect a new Master was again unsuccessful!
1990 The Prince Regent of the OSMTH issued a new set of Statutes. Article 11 allowed him to become automatically Grand Master, if a Grand Master was not elected within 903 days (3 times 301 days ?).
A dangerous, criticable decision is the following: the Prince Regent OSMTH could also designate his successor for life (a vie). He assumed the title of Grand Master. At a Secundus Conventus Magistralis, called to meet at La Toja in Galicia, Spain, these Statutes of 1990 were to be considered as amendments for those of 1947.
1992 On May 1st, the “Council of the Order of the Temple OSMTJ” met in Torino, Italy. Several important points were to be discussed, particularly the necessity of updating of the “Charter” and of the “Regulations”, the definition of the strict duties of the “Grand Prior of the Order” as well as of the Magisterial Council and the election of the “President of the Regency Council”. Unanimously, the Council voted Prof. Nicolas Haimovici Hastier for “President of the Regency Council”. The revision of the “Charter” and of the “Regulations” were decided, in charge of the Juridical Counselor Me Claude Challiol.
1993 At a Convent General in Santiago, Spain, (Toja) the Prince Regent of the OSMTH presented a revised set of statutes, that were never approved.
1995 In June an International Conclave of Templars met in London. Its purpose was to make recommendations towards resolving the issue of the Prince Regent's status and for a November meeting of the Grand Convent in Salzburg, Austria.
More and more reasons for dissatisfaction, tendency of separation, between the OSMTH and several Templar organizations, mainly the “Ordre Souverain et Militaire du Temple de Jérusalem OSMTJ”, are to be noticed.
Salzburg I: When the Prince Regent OSMTH rejected the London Proposal about his future status, it was agreed to withdraw all recognition of him as head of the SMOTJ. Grand confusion and a lot of requirements, claims and demands are to be noticed! A Grand Council of Grand Priors was formed to administer the Order until a Grand Master could be elected. The statutes were to be revised and updated. The British Grand Prior of the “Ordre Souverain et Militaire du temple International”, Sir Roy Redgrave, was chosen to chair the Grand Council of the “Sovereign and Military Order of the Temple International”. Dr. Werner Rind, the German Grand Prior, was appointed at Secretary General with administrative duties. Candidates for Grand Master were to be identified, including Princess Elizabeth of Ysenburg and Buedingen, Princess of Schlesinger-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glucksburg, Duchess of Schleswig-Holstein, which consented finally to become the Royal Patron of the American Priory of St. Michael and St. George.
Salzburg II: In November the Grand Priors met to consider a revised set of statutes, candidates for Grand Master, and recommendations for cooperation and eventual unity with Priories that had not accepted the Prince Regent's authority. Unfortunately the meeting ended indecisively, inefficient!
1995 During the last 2 years, intensive juridical and historical research and exchanges followed by the leaders of the OSMTJ.
1 and 2 September, the 52th session of the Supreme Council Meeting in Belgium did not arrive to an election of a Grand Master OSMTJ. All actual Members remain active.
The revised “Charter” and “Regulations” of the OSMTJ were adopted and published in the “Bulletin” edited by the Grand Priory of Switzerland OSMTJ.
For financial distortions, the Grand Priory of Italy OSMTJ, as well as the Grand Prior Giuseppe Bagnai and his staff, were suspended “a tempore” by Decree from the Regent Hastier. A new staff under Prof. Dr. Gustavo Ottolenghi was installed.
1996 International OSMTJ Convent in Bordighera (Italy).
1997 In May, the American Grand Priory met in Chicago, partly to consider the impact of Salzburg II for the future. Priority will be given to improving its own operation and pursuing various cultural and humanitarian activities. Opportunities for future International associations will be examined with care.
Major General Sir Roy Redgrave was nominated Grand Master of a branch of the Order named “OSMTJ International”. Acted until 2008, he died 2011.
November 22d The Grand Priory of Italy, the Grand Prior Bagnai and staff were definitively suspended for severe, continuous digress towards the basic moral obligations and ethics. A new staff was nominated.
1998 OSMTH decided that they had enough critical mass and, possibly unsatisfied with the “International Federative Alliance”’s insistence on a transparent procedure and possibly frustrated by the position of Prof. Hastier as Grand Commander of the OSMTJ, that they wanted to integrate, take over and replace, ended up by unilaterally electing Sir Roy Redgrave (that had been the Prior of England of the IFA before Br. Leslie Payne) as Grand Master in a plenary meeting in 1998, cutting short our joint efforts for unity and comprehension (that included giving him the proper title as "Master").
1999 The IFA with its 23 Grand Priories carried on. Electoral procedure in place, that included an external independent Auditor who received the votes and validated the results, and we elected our first Master (not "Grand Master"), Fr+ Fernando de Toro-Garland. To prevent all mix-up and confusion with other branches of the Order, a group of Templars decided to add the word "Universal" to the name (thus "Ordo Supremos Militaris Templi Hierosolimitani Universalis" or OSMTHU).
2000 International Templar Convent met in Rome.
2005 The Regent OSMTJ, Professor Nicolas Hastier was severely injured by a car whose conductor has lost his control! Lumbar spine and nervous structures were touched and operate. Severe follows/damages, with lost of muscular function of lower limbs were the follows. The affairs of the Order were put in reserve. Each Grand Priory OSMTJ has to continue his activities on National level.
2005-2018 Less intensive activity in the National Grand Priories and, at a certain moment, a progressive installation of an illegal exercise of a falsified Templar authority OSMTJ by Romolo Lucioli and Paola Grecchi. The Grand Priories of the OSMTJ, partially recently installed, continued their statuary local activities. Some disparate reviews of their actions can be found in local libraries.
2010 In March, Prof. Nicolas H. Hastier was informed about the official presentation of a recently discovered role of parchment, 30 m. long, conserved in the archives for 700 years, containing the complete proceedings in Latin of the trial of the Templars, occurred under the participation of the Inquisition, from October 19th to November 24th 1307!
2016 During a visit to the National Library of France, in Paris, Regent Prof. Hastier, has the opportunity to examine the original document, in form of a rule of parchment, concerning the 'Trial of the Templars”, document discovered a few year earlier in the deposit of the Library.
2018 On February, General Ronald Scott Mangum, came for a few days to Nice, to discuss with Professor Haimovici Hastier the general situation of the Order, particularly disturbed by the illegal activities developed in Italy, by Fr. Romolo Lucioli, presenting an authentic paranoiac status. Self nominated “International Grand Commander” - a title that not exists in the roaster of the “Ordre Souverain et Militaire du Temple de Jerusalem OSMTJ”-, naming and expelling Grand Priors, Romolo Lucioli was disturbing the legal existence of the “Ordre Souverain et Militaire du Temple de Jerusalem OSMTJ”.
An important decision concerning the revival and revision of “authentic OSMTJ Grand Priories” was taken. Original letters and documents concerning the “Ordre Souverain et Militaire du Temple de Jérusalem OSMTJ” and his legitimacy will be spread. The irregular activity of the Italian “Templar Grand Priory” and the invented, piece by piece, progressively created “International Grand Commandery of Lucioli and Grecchi” caused a stir and raised a certain number of fundamental questions. Some loyal Templars were disorientate! 10th of August Magisterial Decision to remove Romolo Lucioli and Paola Grecchi from all their -partially invented and self created- dignities and functions, heading them under the usurped designation “International Grand Commandery of the Order of the Temple, Nicolas H. Hastier Obedience” and to expel them from the Order OSMTJ.
In May 2018 Master Antonio Paris (OSMTHU) resumed his term for the remaining 2 years in view of keeping our group strong and working for cooperation and convergence (we're not convinced unity is realistic at this point). OSMTHU have 9 Priories and work very, very traditionally.
Grand Master OSMTH Fernando Pinto Pereira de Souza Fontes died.
On September, an important “International Convent OSMTJ” met in Riga on invitation of the “Grand Priory OSMTJ of Latvia”. The meeting was very successful and brought together Templars from 7 Grand Priories and the participation of the Regent. The participant Grand Priors of Latvia, Croatia and Norway were confirmed and installed by the Regent.
The “Declaration of Templar Faith” of the “Ordre Souverain et Militaire du Temple de Jérusalem OSMTJ”, completed by the “Introduction”, is dispatched to all Grand Priories OSMTJ.
Gérard Edmond Louis Willéry from France is elected new Grand Master OSMTH.
2019 After 1 year intense exchanges, consultations and completions through the members of the Magisterial Council OSMTJ, the adjourned “Charter” and “Regulations” are officialized.
In June, an “International Convent OSMTJ”, with large international participation is held in Zagreb. The “Grand Priory of Belgium” is integrate, by own desire and decision, into the OSMTJ. An important document containing the history of this Grand Priory of Belgium, since the 19th century, found by Regent Hastier, was send to Belgium.
11th to 13th October, on a very important meeting in Vila Nova de Barquinha, near the magnificent Templar Castle of Almourol (Portugal), developing the theme “Templarism”, the “Cultural accord” between OSMTJ and OSMTHU -first step to an approach of Templar structures of different historical belief-, was finalized. A “Cultural Accord” was signed by Regent OSMTJ Prof. Dr. Nicolas Haimovici Hastier, H.E. Master OSMTHU Antonio Paris and the Lord Mayor of Cita Nova de Barquinha (Portugal) Dr. Fernando Freire, concerning a Center for Templar Research and Study as well as a Library.
In late 2019/ early 2020, Several “Grand Priors” attempted to stage a coup by holding unauthorized elections that violated the rules and procedures of the Order. Though Grand Priories are autonomous, it caused a split within the Order. Many countries believed this deception as truth due to the deceivers controlling the Orders Websites from within and publishing continued propaganda, arbitrarily proclaiming their “Master”, abandoning the Truth, and abandoning the Guardian of the Templar Faith H.E. Nicolas Hastier, thus breaking away from the Authentic OSMTJ.
One lone Grand Prior, H.E. Pierre Bertrand of Cameroon broke thru the propaganda and the Iron Curtain and made contact with several members of the U.S. Grand Priory. Specifically, a Knight Commander, H.E. David P. Roth that received the message and questioned the Grand Prior of the U.S. at that time regarding this Election, which he organized and held. To then being told by the disgraced and expelled person that, “We had to get him (H.E. Nicolas Hastier, Regent, Guardian of the Templar Faith) out of the way to move forward.” H.E. David Roth then contacted as many members as he could to give them the ability to make informed decisions regarding this election. H.E. David P. Roth and several others resigned from OSMTJ-USA, specifically under the command the deceptor. H.E. David Roth and his group of Knights and Sergeants reformed as an Independent Order, initially elected and led by H.E. Thomas Johnson, Grand Prior Emeritus (1st Grand Prior, Templar Knights of America).
In the First Half of 2020, H.E. Nicolas Hastier repeatedly urged those who believed the authors of the conspiracy not to carve up the OSMTJ Order again, but to preserve unity for the importance of succession.
By the Fall of 2020, those countries that wanted to remain in the Authentic Order under the leadership of H.E. Nicolas Hastier made their choice.
2020 marked the start of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Personal meetings were extremely difficult or impossible. Most communication took place remotely. In-person meetings resumed at the end of 2021. The Grand Priors that stayed loyal met in Nice, France. The process of transferring the archives of the Order began. Including all correspondence regarding the 2020 coup.
May 11th 2021, H.E. Robert Erent, Grand Chancellor, Grand Prior of Croatia, was appointed in the high position of Co-President of the Regency Council of the OSMTJ, in charge with organization and guidance of objectives concerning the internal life of all structures of the OSMTJ.
2022, The Grand Priories are focusing on work within their own countries. Developing international work and projects, demonstrating an example of well- coordinated and effective work.
The Leader of the group of conspirators split again from the 2020 group that was created, thus showing the continued trend and path they chose. Again, the lies are destructive, and the Leader did say that the 2020 election were false as he would know, he was the individual that ran the election. His expulsion was never rescinded by H.E. Nicolas Hastier. The new group formed from this break was never part of OSMTJ, especially under the command of H.E. Nicolas Hastier.
The Templar Knights of America was accepted into the OSMTJ and David P. Roth was elected and appointed by H.E. Nicolas Hastier in writing with issued diplomas as Grand Prior of the United States of America. (Historical Note: The U.S. Grand Priory was the last Grand Priory to join the OSMTJ before the passing of H.E. Nicolas Hastier.)
OSMTH-U Held a bogus OSMTJ election with individuals claiming to be part of OSMTJ claiming a new “Master”. Those people and groups were never part of the Authentic OSMTJ, only one person was, which was subsequently expelled from the Order for his actions in supporting this false lineage and branch. Then another divide occurred within these false Templar branches. Traitors and thieves doing what traitors and thieves do, low hanging fruit just falling off the tree and dying. Anyone that accepted the coin purse and buyout got what they deserved. Nothing!
In September, a meeting was held again in Nice, during which the direction of the Order was established for 2023-2025.
On March 4th, 2023, The President of the Regency Council, H.E. Nicolas Hastier, completed his earthly journey. We are grateful to him for his work and for the enormous contributions that he made to the history of the Order. We thank God that we had the opportunity to stand with him in the same row. Defended the Guardian of the Templar Faith until his death.
May 12th 2023, The 1st OSMTJ International/ Grand Priors Roundtable occurred after the passing of the President of the Regency Council. Manifesto of the Faithful was Drafted.
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