Knights Templar (Freemasonry)
The Knights Templar, full name The United Religious, Military and Masonic Orders of the Temple and of St John of Jerusalem, Palestine, Rhodes and Malta, is a fraternal order affiliated with Freemasonry. Unlike the initial degrees conferred in a regular Masonic Lodge, which (in all Regular Masonic jurisdictions) only require a belief in a Supreme Being regardless of religious affiliation, the Knights Templar is one of several additional Masonic Orders in which membership is open only to Freemasons who profess a belief in Christianity. One of the obligations entrants to the order are required to declare is to protect and defend the Christian faith. The word "United" in its full title indicates that more than one historical tradition and more than one actual order are jointly controlled within this system. The individual orders 'united' within this system are principally the Knights of the Temple (Knights Templar), the Knights of Malta, the Knights of St Paul, and only within the York Rite, the Knights of the Red Cross.
Servando Gómez Martínez
Gómez Martínez appeared on a rare video in the "Blog del Narco" on 22 August 2012 explaining the "peaceful credentials" of the Knights Templar Cartel and asking the leaders of Mexico's drug trafficking organizations to join forces and put down Miguel Treviño Morales ("Z-40"), one of the leaders of Los Zetas. The footage begins with a close-up of a quote and poster attributed to Che Guevara; the camera then pans out to reveal a Mexican flag in the background, an idol of a knight, and a photo of Fidel Castro. With the scene set, Gómez Martínez appears directly in front of the camera, and addresses an 11-minute video to the Mexican people, President Felipe Calderón, and the rest of the Mexican drug cartels. He insisted that his organization is a "necessary evil," and insists that his organization is "not a cartel, nor any kind of organized criminal group. [They] are a brotherhood, founded by a set of statutes and codes." He then goes on to explain that the Knights Templar's "only function is to help the people, preserve [the] state ... and keep [Mexico] free of people causing terror ... [and] live in peace." Gómez Martínez then asks other cartels to create a "common front" against Los Zetas and asks Calderón to take on his action.