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Greeting from the
Pope:
Maintain the faith in Christ, to
the Church, and the Poor.
Message from the H.M.E.H. the Prince and
Grand Master:
No to the
death penalty and abortion, war to sects.
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One of the most significant
moments of the Order’s Nonacentenary was the meeting in the Basilica of St.
Peter of over 2000 Knights and Dames from all over the world on 24 June, to
attend the celebrations organised by the Grand Magistry in Rome.
His Eminence Cardinal Pio Laghi, concelebrated a pontifical mass with Cardinals, Archbishops and Chaplains
of the Order at the Altar of St. Peter’s Chair. Attending the mass were
H.M.E.H. the Prince and Grand Master, Fra’ Andrew Bertie, the High Offices,
the Members of the Sovereign Council, the Prelate, Msgr. Donato de Bonis, the
Heads of the National Organisations and the Ambassadors of the Order.
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Rome. St. Peter’s
Basilica. H.M.E.H. the Prince and Grand Master with the High
Offices and members of the Sovereign Council, Heads of State and
Government, numerous representatives of Heads of State, members of
Imperial and Royal Families, attend the Mass concelebrated at the
Altar of St. Peter’s Chair. |
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| Roma.
St. Peters Basilica. S.Em.za Rev.ma il Signor Cardinale, Pio Laghi, Cardinalis Patronus
of the Order, during the homilie.
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Participating, on the personal
invitation of the Grand Master, were Heads of State and Government, including
the Presidents of Central Africa, Latvia and the Republic of Malta, the Captains
Regent of San Marino, the Foreign Ministers of Belarus, Bosnia Herzegovina, Cile,
the Ivory Coast, Cuba, Guinea, Lithuania, Portugal, Senegal and Hungary. The
personal representative of President Chirac, Gen. Douin, Grand Chancellor of the
Legion of Honour, also participated, as did those of President Ciampi, Vice
President Mattarella, of the Ranieri of Monaco, Prince Albert, and of the Heads
of State of Argentina, Brazil, Egypt, Equador, Colombia, Nicaragua, Spain,
Austria, Honduras, Guatemala, Paraguay, Perù, Thailand and Panama. Also present
were all the Heads of Mission accredited to the Sovereign Order and numerous
members of imperial and royal families, including the Grand Duchess Vladimirova
of Russia, King Michael of Romania, the Prince of Braganza Dom Duarte, the
Archduke Sigismund of Habsburg-Lorraine and the Duke and Duchess of Calabria. |
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The celebrations concluded when the Knights, Dames and volunteers of the
Ambulance Corps gathered afterwards in St. Peter’s Square, where the Holy
Father John Paul II addressed them from his study window.
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| Roma.
Plaza de San Pedro. S.A.Em.ma il Principe e
Gran Maestro with S.E. il Gran Cancelliere, Amb. Conte Don Carlo
Marullo di Condojanni, surrounded by the other 2000 embers of the
Order convened in Rome to celebrate the nine centuries of the
Order.
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The
morning of June 26 S.A. Em.ma il Principe e Gran Maestro with members of Sovrano Consiglio
visited with the Holy Father, Welcomed in the Vatican with full Estate
Honours. |
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After
private conversations with the Holy Father The Gran Maestro met with S.E. el Cardenal Rev.ma Angelo
Sodano Secretary of State in the Palazzo Apostolico. The
Prelatoato of the Order, S.E. Rev.ma Mons. Donato de Bonis, and
the ambassador of the Order to the Holy seed, S.E. Stefan Falez were
also present.
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The
visit to the Holy Father was followed by a ceremony in the Palazzo
Magistrale to conferrer to the Gran Maestro the Collar dell 'Ordine Piano, reserved for State Head, this was
presented by the Secretary of State S.E. Rev.ma Mons. Giovanni Battista Re. |
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