On the European mainland, after 50 years of fighting, the Concordat of Worms provided a similar, but longer lasting, compromise when signed on September 23, 1122. It eliminated lay investiture, while leaving secular leaders some room for unofficial but significant influence in the appointment process.
The Freemasons is a fraternal organization formed in the late 16th or early 17th century, which permits men of any religion to join.
Lodge, c.1880 Ritual and regalia distinguish fraternal societies from other social clubs and service organizations. Local lodges were affiliated with a national fraternal organization. The Freemasons were the oldest and most prestigious fraternal society, and other fraternal organizations imitated its ceremonies. In the 1890s there were hundreds of fraternal orders, thousands if one counts splinter groups, brief-lived organizations, and local societies.