Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Littered in the numerous conspiracy theories that are floated online are stories of the secretive - but very real - Freemasons.

THE head of a secret society with more than 200,000 members has hit out at the constant criticism it endures, but refused to reveal the group’s secret handshake. He ...

The Vatican's Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) has reaffirmed the Catholic Church's teachings that laity or clerics participating in Freemasonry are in "a state of grave sin." The DDF ...

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or ...

THINK of Freemasons and you might be excused of summoning up an image in your mind of men in pinnies with one trouser leg rolled up chanting an ancient ritual. So it is somewhat unexpected to discover ...

THEY may not actually ride goats but they do have a funny handshake and occasionally wear their trouser legs rolled up. There are six million Freemasons around the world but little is known about the ...

A series of Masonic signs have been found “hidden” in paintings of Scotland’s bard Robert Burns. Tiny letters and symbols – such as a comet and hooded figures – have been painted in minute detail ...

For centuries, the secrets of the Freemasons were known only to members. But that’s about to change after the BBC were given unprecedented access to several Scottish lodges (the Freemason term for ...

Insights, including a look at the 400 years of secret lodgers within the society, will be unveiled on a BBC programme A GRIPPING new TV documentary has uncovered hidden secrets of the Freemasons.

This article is brought to you by our exclusive subscriber partnership with our sister title USA Today, and has been written by our American colleagues. It does not necessarily reflect the view of The ...