Honouring the Swiss Example: A Reflection on Sovereignty, Neutrality and Dignity

By the SGC Emmanouil Gerakios 33º

August 1st – Honouring the Swiss Example: A Reflection on Sovereignty, Neutrality and Dignity

Today, on the first day of August, we commemorate the founding of the Swiss Confederation. In 1291, the three original Cantons—Uri, Schwyz, and Unterwalden—swore an alliance of mutual assistance and liberty. This was not the formal creation of a state, but the birth of a sovereign, independent, and neutral political identity, which would later be known as the Eidgenossenschaft – a brotherhood of oaths and shared honour.

Modern Switzerland embodies the very idea of neutrality—not as passivity or indifference, but as an active stance of sovereignty. It is a nation that does not bow to external centres of power, that rejects imposition, and that grounds its political system in direct democracy and pluralism. Its federal structure is not a weakness or fragmentation, but a harmony achieved through mutual respect for local autonomy. This is the true wisdom of Switzerland—this must also be the Way of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite.

The Supreme Council 33° for Greece expresses its sincere congratulations to the people and Government of the Swiss Confederation. We honour their independence, their reverence for democratic will, and their unwavering commitment to the principle: “no decision about us, without us.” Switzerland is both an example and an inspiration to us.

And yet, our relationship with Switzerland is not only institutional or ideological—it is also deeply personal.The Sovereign Grand Commander, Emmanouil Gerakios, studied Law in Zurich, and the Grand Treasurer General, Vasileios Katsampas, was educated at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH Zürich)—two Greek paths forged within the climate of Swiss liberty, academic excellence, and democratic ethos.

But we cannot stop at words of praise.

When neutrality disappears – and sovereignty is trampled

As we reflect today on the concepts of sovereignty and neutrality, we must cast our gaze—sadly and with concern—upon the global landscape of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite.

We see that respect for the sovereignty of Supreme Councils—the cornerstone of the international AASR, as enshrined in the Grand Constitutional Principles of 1786—is being violated, often blatantly. Certain European Supreme Councils have taken it upon themselves to invade, usurp, replace, and divide, acting as instruments of domination rather than guardians of fraternal harmony. In doing so, they trample on the very tenets of mutual recognition, equality, and respect for historical legitimacy.

This is not an abstract concern. It is a concrete and painful reality:

• Romania: A historic Supreme Council subjected to relentless external pressure and interference.

• Bulgaria: Its internal cohesion shaken by foreign “missions.”

• Czech Republic and France: Territories where the line between assistance and intrusion has been erased.

• Greece: Endured years of legal struggle to safeguard its historic continuity and sovereignty—and even after normalization, it suffered the creation of a counterfeit Supreme Council, in retaliation for its resilience and fidelity to Masonic law.

• Italy: Torn by fratricidal ambitions.

The strangest—or perhaps most revealing—element is that behind this cacophony, we hear the same choir: a system of enforcement which invokes the pretext of Masonic purity, yet in practice exploits the Rite for geopolitical, internal, or personal aims.

History as teacher – Silence as complicity

Sadly, protest is minimal. Most prefer silence over struggle. They choose momentary “peace” over institutional justice. But silence in the face of injustice is not neutrality; it is complicity.

If this trend continues—and history bitterly teaches us that it will—then amidst the chaos that will inevitably follow, we will yearn for the order we once abandoned. And as has happened many times before, the next generation will look to our decisions to understand the roots of the decline.

Return to Switzerland – return to dignity

Let us, then, return to the example of Switzerland—a country that is neutral but not mute, sovereign but not domineering, pluralistic but not chaotic. A nation that shows us unity does not require imposition, but agreement; and peace is not built on fear, but on mutual respect.

If the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite is to endure—not as a tool of influence, but as a true spiritual path—it must remember what is fundamental:“No Supreme Council has the right to establish or replace another on territory where a regularly established Supreme Council exists.”(Grand Constitutional Principle, Paris 1875)

Let Switzerland be our example—and let us preserve the Scottish Rite from authoritarian decay and fraternal disintegration.

If not now, when?If not us, who?

With concern and fraternal duty,