Washington, D.C. -September 7, 2022
A pivotal point in American Freemasonry occurred when the Sovereign Grand Commanders of the ONLY four regular and recognized the Scottish Rite Supreme Councils in the United States assembled at the House of the Temple in Washington, DC, to sign an original Statement of Unity. This historic document solidifies an internal agreement of unity, legitimacy, and mutual support among the Southern and Northern Jurisdictions of both Mainstream and Prince Hall Affiliated Scottish Rite Freemasonry.
Participating Supreme Councils:
Origins and Intent of the Statement
The paper discusses the creation of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite in 1801 in Charleston, South Carolina, and re-expresses the basic Masonic values that the Rite was established upon. All Councils recognized their position as a direct descendant of the original Supreme Council, as well as a legitimate sovereign conservator of the Rite in the jurisdiction. This agreement also states that all Scottish Rite Masons must be and stay in good standing of a Lodge created by a recognized Grand Lodge. This paper also clarifies via the Statement that, without being recognized by one of the four signers, no other Supreme Council will be recognized or considered legitimate in the United States. This provision will ensure the effectiveness of the Rite while delegitimizing irregular or unrecognized Scottish Rite organizations, as they are not conferred for action without being tied to an established Masonic body.
Principles of Unity and Governance
The Councils expressed their agreement to uphold the following common principles:
These principles strengthen a unified Masonic presence in the United States, rooted in shared heritage, discipline, and respect for established Masonic law.
Ceremonial Significance
The signing ceremony was solemn and symbolic. Ill. Leonard Proden, 33°, Grand Prior of the Supreme Council (SJ), opened with an invocation quoting Archbishop Desmond Tutu: “In order to unite with one another, we must love one another; in order to love one another, we must know one another; in order to know one another, we must go and meet one another.” The quote resonated deeply with the day’s message: Unity is not just administrative. Itis fraternal.
Ill. James D. Cole, 33°, reminded the audience, “Recognition is external. Unity is internal.” His words emphasized the spirit of mutual dedication beyond signatures and seals—a brotherhood reaffirming its highest values.
A Path Forward
The meaning of this Unity Agreement extends beyond a purely symbolic one. It provides the opportunity for cooperative projects, educational endeavors, and joint action to face the issues that modern Freemasonry is experiencing. It recognizes the 2 regular Prince Hall Affiliated Supreme Councils as equals within the context of Scottish Rite bodies nationally, and in doing so, advances a step forward toward racial reconciliation, fraternal bonds, and coherence of operations. In a new era of Scottish Rite Freemasonry, this agreement can be a template of principled cooperation, rooted in history, and aimed at the future. In unison, these Councils have said: We are stronger not only because we recognize each other, but because we move forward together as one.
Historical Legal Foundation: Grand Constitutions of 1786
The authority and legitimacy reaffirmed in the Statement of Unity in 2022 are congruent with the Grand Constitutions of 1786,the underlying document that governs the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite.
Of particular importance, there are two articles:
Article IX:
"In a country under the jurisdiction of a Supreme Council of Sovereign Inspectors General, duly constituted, and recognized by all others, no Sovereign Grand Inspector General, or Delegate Inspector General, or Deputy, or Sub-Inspector, or Agent, shall have authority to act in such country, unless he shall have been recognized and confirmed by the same Supreme Council. And if any person shall act in opposition to this regulation, he shall be suspended and excluded from all the rights and privileges of the Order, until he shall be reinstated by the Supreme Council in whose jurisdiction the offense was committed.”
This article enunciates that a Supreme Council in a country that possesses lawful jurisdiction, and acceptance is the only Inspector General that possesses authority, barring a formality acknowledged by the Supreme Council. The article reinforces the Statement of Unity's statement regarding mutual acceptance, furthermore, indicates the need for jurisdictional boundaries.
Article XVII:
"It requires a majority of votes to invest with lawful authority the acts of Sovereign Grand Inspectors General done in a country where there exists a Supreme Council of the 33rd Degree legitimately instituted and recognized; and no Inspectors General, or Deputy, or Agent, shall have the right to act in such country without the permission or Exequatur of the Supreme Council of the same, under the penalty of suspension and nullification of their acts. No Supreme Council shall extend its powers beyond its own jurisdiction without the express consent of the Council concerned.”
According to Article XVII, acts done in a country in which a recognized Supreme Council exists require the majority consent. Inspector’s, Exequatur (fancy word alert--a formal authorization), cannot act independently or into other jurisdictions without the Exequatur to do so. The Article’s clear insistence upon a properly recognized body of the fraternity serves as a support mechanism for the Unity Statement which neither recognized nor adhered to the authority of bodies of the fraternity acting outside of topical legality. These Grand Constitutional principles remain applicable today, projecting historical legitimacy upon the 2022 Unity Agreement and firmly anchoring it into the law and fraternity of the Scottish Rite tradition.
The Grand Constitutions of 1786 are the foundational governing document of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry. Traditionally attributed to Prince Frederick of Prussia, these Grand Constitutions provide the legal, administrative, and philosophical framework for how the 33° structure of the Scottish Rite operates throughout the world.
United Supreme Councils' Articles
Further affirmation appears in an article in the Constitutions of the United Supreme Councils:
Article reads:
"The Grand Secret Constitutions of 1761, the Regulations of 1762, and the Grand Constitutions of 1786, and those subsequent thereto, as herein modified... shall be the basic laws governing the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry in this Jurisdiction."
This clearly codifies that the Grand Constitutions of 1786—and their predecessor documents—are not just historical references but serve as the binding legal standard. Any organization not governed by these sources or that contradicts their authority operates outside the recognized constitutional framework of the Scottish Rite.
Both United Supreme Councils (PHA-SJ and PHA-NJ) include an article in their constitutions that affirms exclusive jurisdiction over the Scottish Rite among African American Masons in the United States and its territories.
Article reads:
"The jurisdiction and the control of the degree of the A.A.S. Rite among colored men in the United States of America and their Territories and Dependencies is claimed exclusively by the two Supreme Councils... and all bodies or individuals not authorized by either of said Supreme Councils to disseminate or work the said degree among colored masons are hereby declared to be irregular, spurious and clandestine."
This article reinforces the central theme of the 2022 Statement of Unity: that authority within the Scottish Rite is both territorial and jurisdictional and must be exercised by recognized and duly authorized bodies only. It also demonstrates that the legitimacy of the United Supreme Councils is not a modern invention—but rooted in decades of mutual recognition, operational boundaries, and shared constitutional law.
World Conference of Supreme Councils (WCOSC)
In May 2025, both United Supreme Councils listed in the Statement of Unity gained international recognition when they were formally admitted as members of the World Conference of Supreme Councils (WCOSC). Founded in Lausanne, Switzerland in 1961, the World Conference of Supreme Councils (WCOSC) is the global assembly of regularly established Supreme Councils of Scottish Rite Freemasonry that trace their authority from the Grand Constitutions of 1786. Membership in the WCOSC is only by invitation after a thorough investigation of lineage, requirement of regularity, and mutual recognition of existing Supreme Councils. Membership is not ceremonial; it is the only legitimate, international standard of authority of any Supreme Council of Scottish Rite Freemasonry.
The admission of the two PHA Supreme Councils from Southern and Northern Jurisdiction is a landmark event in Masonic history that legitimized and recognized their regularity and standing in the International fraternity, not only within the United States. The WCOSC will not recognize irregular, or self-constituted, Supreme Councils; it only recognizes those with unbroken and recognized lineage and lawful jurisdiction. Therefore, any claims of legitimacy made by any other groups, particularly in the United States, are directly and unequivocally countered by the international recognition granted to the PHA Southern and Northern Jurisdiction of Scottish Rite Freemasonry in 2025. The World Conference of Supreme Councils != governance. The WCOSC does provide rights of mutual recognition, international mutual aid, and provides the guidelines for regular Scottish Rite Freemasonry from the Grand Constitutions of 1786. The membership list is published and updated on a regular basis and is the international reference point for valid Scottish Rite authority.
As of 2025, the WCOSC comprises the following member Supreme Councils:
Supreme Council, 33°, Southern Jurisdiction, USA
Supreme Council, 33°, Northern Masonic Jurisdiction, USA
United Supreme Council, 33°, Prince Hall Affiliation, Southern Jurisdiction, USA
United Supreme Council, 33°, Prince Hall Affiliation, Northern Jurisdiction, USA
Suprême Conseil de France (Supreme Council of France)
Supreme Council of Italy
Supreme Masonic Council of Spain
Supreme Council of Portugal
Supreme Council for Turkey
Supreme Council for the Swiss Confederation
Supreme Council of the Grand Orient of Poland
Supreme Council of the Grand Orient of Romania
Supreme Grand Council of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Luxembourg
Supreme Council of the Grand Lodge of Cedars of Lebanon
Supreme Council of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite for Scotland
The inclusion of the United Supreme Councils, PHA-SJ and PHA-NJ, represents the culmination of decades of advocacy and recognition, cementing their position as the only regular and recognized Prince Hall Scottish Rite Supreme Councils in the world.
Conclusion
Numerous organizations have emerged claiming Masonic authority without regularity by any of the established and mutually acknowledged Supreme Councils. According to the Grand Constitutions of 1786, World Conference of Supreme Councils and the 2022 Statement of Unity, such claims have no standing within the formal Scottish Rite framework.
The Statement of Unity from 2022 and acceptance into the World Conference of Supreme Councils is an affirmation of the sacred trust that enrolls recognized Supreme Councils based on legal authority, mutual recognition, and an abiding profession of Masonic principles. It is built on the Grand Constitutions of 1786 and the enduring articles of the United Supreme Councils to close the door on irregularity and throw open widely the gates of unity.
In a time of disinformation, disunity, and dubious claims against the integrity of the Craft, this agreement reminds us of continuity and clarity. It employs legal precedent and moral authority, rooted in centuries of law and light, to construct a refashioned fraternity, one that holds the past accountable, the present affirmed, and the future secured. It is more than a promise; it is a covenant, a binding assertion that connects the Scottish Rite, not just by geography, but by principle, practice, and purpose.
Copyright © 2021
Post Office Box 2212
Tacoma, WA 88999
President: Damajo Smith, FPS
Director: Joshua Feliciano, FPSH