MMMQQII:. Today is the World Day of the Portuguese Language.
Mother tongue of Portugal, the Portuguese Language is also the Official Language of Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, São Tomé & Príncipe and Timor-Leste.
The Portuguese is thus the 5th most spoken Official Language in the world, with its more than 300 million Luso speakers in the 8 countries of Africa, America, Asia and Europe.
South of Ecuador, Portuguese is spoken by more than 280 million people as the Mother Tongue and is thus the 1st most spoken European root language in the Southern Hemisphere.
The Sovereign Grand Lodge of Portugal as a Portuguese-speaking Masonic Obedience and the only Strictly Obedience Regular practicing the Rite Portuguese could not fail to mark the Day of our Language as a Universal Language professed by millions of Free Men and Good Customs and who always knew how to honor the Masonic designs of Liberty, Fraternity and Equality in all the 4 Continents in which it is spoken.
To this end, I would like to leave a very special greeting to all our Lusophone Brothers throughout the world as well as to all the brothers of the newly created IMO – International Masonic Organization, Obedience of Latin roots but Universal character, of which Portuguese is one of the Official Languages.
Thank you
Abílio Alagôa da Silva
Grand Master of the Sovereign Grand Lodge of Portugal