In an apparent gaffe, Socialist Party leader claims that membership of an alleged Masonic group makes 300 high-ranking officials unfit to serve; representatives of the Order of St. Stanislas deny that their social and philanthropic organization is affiliated with the Masons and insist it poses no threat to state security.
unfit to serve.
In an apparent gaffe, Moroz went on to identify the so-called Masonic group as the Order of St. Stanislas. In fact, while both are non-profit organizations with charitable goals, Freemasonry and the order are unaffiliated.
The Order of St. Stanislas is a membership organization based in Great Britain and is based on Polish chivalry. It has affiliates in more than 25 countries worldwide.
Its Ukrainian members, called “chevaliers,” or knights, include dozens of prominent officials, including the country’s first president, Leonid Kravchuk, current First Lady Lyudmila Kuchma, and the former head of the State Tax Administration, Mykola Azarov.
The order presents itself as a social and philanthropic organization. It holds an annual dinner-dance and raises funds for a number of causes, including children affected by the Chernobyl disaster.
The day following Moroz’ allegation, his party’s press service said that a large number of the government officials involved in the order were members of the country’s military. It also maintained that an oath members swore to the order was inconsistent with the oath they took upon assuming their government posts.
The party said that members of the non-profit order would bear allegiance to it over the country.
“We are not saying that the activities of this order are illegal,” said Socialist Party spokesman Yury Lutsenko. “But we want to draw the public’s attention to the fact that this order has members in the Interior Ministry, General Prosecutor’s office, Security Service [SBU] and other institutions.”
Pavlo Vyalov, an official of the order, played down the Socialist Party’s fears, and denied that the organization represented any kind of conspiracy or threat to the nation.
Vyalov said that the organization has traditionally been popular with military officers and law enforcement. He said that no more than 30 percent of the organization’s members in Ukraine were affiliated with the uniformed services. Other members include scientists and artists, he said.
Vyalov dismissed Moroz’s accusation as merely a pre-election publicity stunt.
“The opposition’s statement is nothing more than the start of the presidential campaign,” he said.
Moroz’s allegations regarding the oath that members take upon joining the order were also flawed, Vyalov said. Initiates are silent during the ceremony, he said. He played a videotape of an initiation ceremony for the media.
The order was registered in Ukraine in 1999. Internationally, it was founded by exiled Polish noblemen who settled in Great Britain during World War II.
Vyalov said that the order accepts members who have performed noble deeds for their nation or humankind, based upon the recommendation of four current members and approval by the order’s international headquarters.
“Only after a candidate has been approved can we put the person forward for the decoration,” Vyalov said.
Kost Bondarenko, head of the Kyiv-based Expert Center for Social Research, said that the Order of St. Stanislas has nothing in common with Freemasonry.
“The Masons, at least, have a philosophy that has endured over the centuries,” he said. “This order does not. It’s more like a club for dues-paying members.”
Bondarenko said the order appealed to Ukrainians who had attained status and material wealth and were interested in the opportunity to rub shoulders with other influential persons.
“It’s basically harmless,” he said. “Just a bunch of bureaucrats who enjoy putting on capes and meeting secretly.”
Peter Byrne contributed to this report.
