Editing Freemasonry (section)

===Recognition, amity and regularity===
Relations between Grand Lodges are determined by the concept of ''Recognition''. Each Grand Lodge or Grand Orient maintains a list of other Grand Orients or Grand Lodges that it recognises.<ref>{{Cite book
| title = Handbook for Candidate's Coaches
| first = Donald G.
| last = Campbell
| author2 = Committee on Ritual
| publisher = Grand Lodge F.&A.M. of California
| url = http://mastersjewel.com/masons/mm/MM07.htm
| format = excerpt
| chapter = The Master Mason; Irregular and Clandestine Lodges
| access-date = 8 May 2007
| archive-date = 21 August 2007
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070821165005/http://www.mastersjewel.com/masons/mm/MM07.htm
| url-status = dead
}}</ref> When two Grand Lodges recognise and are in Masonic communication with each other, they are said to be ''[[wikt:amity|in amity]]'', and the brethren of each may visit each other's Lodges and interact Masonically. When two Grand Lodges are not in amity, inter-visitation is not allowed. There are many reasons one Grand Lodge will withhold or withdraw recognition from another, but the two most common are ''Exclusive Jurisdiction'' and ''Regularity''.<ref>[http://www.pilarlodge3freemasonry.freeservers.com/about_1.html Jim Bantolo, "On Recognition"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080314135120/http://www.pilarlodge3freemasonry.freeservers.com/about_1.html |date=14 March 2008 }}, Masonic Short Talk, ''Pilar lodge'', 2007, retrieved 25 November 2013</ref>

====Exclusive jurisdiction====
Exclusive Jurisdiction is a concept whereby normally only one Grand Lodge will be recognised in any geographical area. If two Grand Lodges claim jurisdiction over the same area, the other Grand Lodges will have to choose between them, and they may not all decide to recognise the same one. (In 1849, for example, the Grand Lodge of New York split into two rival factions, each claiming to be the legitimate Grand Lodge. Other Grand Lodges had to choose between them until the schism was healed.<ref>[http://www.themasonictrowel.com/ebooks/fm_freemasonry/Lang_-_History_Of_Freemasonry_in_NewYork_1922_raw.pdf Ossian Lang, "History of Freemasonry in the State of New York" (pdf)], 1922, pp. 135–140, ''Masonic Trowel eBooks'', {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101201003501/http://www.themasonictrowel.com/ebooks/fm_freemasonry/Lang_-_History_Of_Freemasonry_in_NewYork_1922_raw.pdf|date=1 December 2010}}</ref>) Exclusive Jurisdiction can be waived when the two overlapping Grand Lodges are themselves in amity and agree to share jurisdiction. For example, since the Grand Lodge of Connecticut is in amity with the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Connecticut, the principle of Exclusive Jurisdiction does not apply, and other Grand Lodges may recognise both.<ref>[http://www.bessel.org/exclartl.htm "Exclusive Jurisdiction"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203002511/http://www.bessel.org/exclartl.htm |date=3 December 2013 }}, ''Paul M. Bessel'', 1998, retrieved 25 November 2013</ref> Likewise, the five distinct kinds of lodges in Germany have nominally united under one Grand Lodge in order to obtain international recognition.

==== Modern challenges and evolution ====
The concept of Exclusive Jurisdiction has been significantly challenged in the United States with the increasing recognition of [[Prince Hall Masonry|Prince Hall Grand Lodges]], a branch of Freemasonry created for African Americans. Historically, many "mainstream" or conservative U.S. Grand Lodges refused to recognize Prince Hall Grand Lodges operating in their states, citing Exclusive Jurisdiction. However, this began to change in 1989 when the [[Grand Lodge of Connecticut]] extended recognition to its Prince Hall counterpart.<ref>{{cite web |author1=Sueanna Smith |title=Reimagining Prince Hall: Race, Freemasonry, and Material Culture In Boston, 1775-1870 |url=https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=7385&context=etd |website=[[University of South Carolina]] |access-date=4 November 2024 |archive-date=9 July 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240709172151/https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=7385&context=etd |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Connecticut |url=https://mwphgl-ct.org/ |access-date=2024-11-07 |website=Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Connecticut |language=en-US |archive-date=10 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240610171412/https://mwphgl-ct.org/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

This initial recognition created a precedent for "shared jurisdiction" between mainstream and Prince Hall Grand Lodges, effectively modifying the traditional interpretation of Exclusive Jurisdiction. By 2024, most U.S. Grand Lodges have recognized their Prince Hall counterparts, establishing a new norm where two Grand Lodges can legitimately operate within the same geographical area, provided they maintain mutual recognition and amity.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |title=The Grand Lodge of Connecticut |url=https://gwmemorial.org/blogs/gl-of-the-month/the-grand-lodge-of-connecticut |access-date=2024-11-07 |website=GWMNMA |language=en |archive-date=6 November 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241106233111/https://gwmemorial.org/blogs/gl-of-the-month/the-grand-lodge-of-connecticut |url-status=live }}</ref>

The evolution of this practice demonstrates how traditional Masonic principles can adapt to accommodate social progress while maintaining the fundamental aims of regular Freemasonry. Some jurisdictions have formalized this arrangement through written agreements that specifically outline the terms of shared jurisdiction.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Prince Hall Freemasonry archives |url=https://bmrc.lib.uchicago.edu/portal/view/?id=BMRC.HARSH.PRINCE_HALL.xml#:~:text=Today,%20Prince%20Hall%20Lodges%20are,their%20names%20to%20avoid%20confusion |access-date=2024-11-07 |website=bmrc.lib.uchicago.edu |archive-date=7 July 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240707131857/https://bmrc.lib.uchicago.edu/portal/view/?id=BMRC.HARSH.PRINCE_HALL.xml#:~:text=Today,%20Prince%20Hall%20Lodges%20are,their%20names%20to%20avoid%20confusion |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="phylaxis">{{Cite web |title=John B. Williams Web Page |url=https://thephylaxis.org/williams/recognition.php |access-date=2024-11-07 |website=thephylaxis.org |archive-date=7 March 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250307182939/https://thephylaxis.org/williams/recognition.php |url-status=live }}</ref>

====Regularity and Recognition Systems====
{{Main|Regular Masonic jurisdictions}}