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| Delegates of Grand Orange Lodges from around the world meet in a different country every three years for consultation and discussion on matters of common interest. The week long meeting also affords the opportunity for Orangemen of different nationalities and backgrounds to socialize and to get to know each other. Delegates sent by sovereign Grand Lodges to this triennial meeting constitute the Imperial Orange Council. (Some prefer to call it the World Orange Council.) The Council has no legislative, judicial, or executive authority. However, in the rare event of a dispute between two or more Grand Lodges, the Council may, if requested, provide mediation and/or arbitration to resolve the issue. |
| The Council elects a number of Officers. The principal officers are the President, Secretary, and Treasurer, who provide continuity between meetings, and who assist the Grand Lodges of host countries in coordinating arrangements for upcoming meetings. Other Imperial Council Officers, including an Imperial Grand Master, are also elected. While Imperial Council officers do not have any executive authority, they carry prestige and influence throughout the Orange world. |
| American Orangemen take an active role in the work of the Council. A Past Grand Master of the Grand Orange Lodge of the USA, Brother Frederick E. Stewart, Jr., was the President of the World Orange Council for the 1997 2000 term. Brother Gerald W. Budden, Past Grand Master of the Loyal Orange Association of Canada, is the current Imperial Grand President. Brother Ian Wilson, Grand Master of Scotland, is the current Council Imperial Grand Master. The Imperial Secretary is Brother John McCrea, JP, Past Secretary of the Grand Lodge of Ireland, and the Imperial Treasurer is Brother David Griffin who is a recent Grand Master of the Loyal Orange Association of Canada. |
| The World Orange Council will next meet in Toronto, Canada in July 2006. |
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