Order of Christ (Holy See)

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Order of Christ

The Order of Christ (actually Order of the Knights of Christ , Latin Militia Domini Nostri Iesu Christi , Italian Ordine Supremo del Cristo ) is the highest order of merit awarded by the Pope today .

history

On March 14, 1319, Pope John XXII. in the bull Ad ea ex quibus the approval of the founding of the Portuguese Order of Christ , whose knights had to live according to the rule of the Knightly Order of Calatrava . From many sources it emerges that in the bull the Pope reserved the right to appoint papal knights to the Order of Christ. The original text of the bull does not contain this prerogative, but it does not contradict the practice that the Pope had given his consent to the appointment of knights or had a say.

In its current form, the papal order of Christ was organized by Pope Pius X on February 7, 1905 and is the highest honor of the Vatican.

The Order of Merit is very seldom bestowed, especially to heads of state and eminent statesmen of the Catholic faith who have made special contributions to either the Catholic Church or society.

The owners bear the title of Knight of the Order of Christ , the Militia Domini Nostri Iesu Christi .

The last award of the order was in 1987 to Angelo de Mojana di Cologna , since the death of the order holder King Baudouin in 1993 there have been no living order holders.

designation

The contradiction between Jesus' command to renounce rank designations ( Matthew 25: 1-10  EU ) and the fact that the name of Christ was imposed on the highest papal order and that "the Order of Christ ... from our Lord a gold-plated appendage on Neck ... does. ", Caused some indignation.

Signs of the order and way of wearing

The sign of the order is the same as that of the Portuguese Order of Christ: a red paw cross covered with a white Latin cross. The medal hangs on a golden royal crown.

All knights also receive the necklace at the award ceremony, because the medal may only be worn on one necklace and has no ribbon. It consists of three parts: the papal coat of arms, the order cross within a laurel wreath and golden braid between them. The silver star is eight-pointed and has the medallion of the order cross, which is surrounded by a green enamelled laurel wreath.

Position within the hierarchy

The following ranking of the papal orders of merit and decorations applies:

  1. Order of Christ
  2. Order of the Golden Spur (founder and year of foundation unknown, renewed by Pius X in 1905) (only one class)
  3. Order of Pius (donated by Pius IX in 1847 ) (four classes)
  4. Order of Saint Gregory (donated by Gregory XVI in 1831 ) (four classes)
  5. New Year's Eve Order (donated by Gregory XVI in 1841) (four classes)
  6. Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice (donated by Leo XIII in 1888 ; Cross of Merit, only one class)
  7. Benemerenti (donated by Gregory XVI in 1832; Medal of Merit, only one class)
  8. Jerusalem Pilgrim Cross (donated by Leo XIII in 1901) (three classes)

Knight of the Papal Order of Christ

The only Protestants who received the order were Otto von Bismarck (1885) and Prince Heinrich of Prussia . Another German knight of the order was the Catholic Konrad Adenauer , whom he received from Pope Paul VI in September 1963 . was awarded.

See also

literature

  • Gustav Adolph Ackermann: Order book of all in Europe flourishing and extinct orders and decorations. Annaberg 1855.
  • Paul Hieronymussen: Orders, Medals and Decorations of Britain and Europe in Color. London 1967.
  • Arnhard Graf Klenau: European medals from 1700. Munich 1978.
  • The medals and decorations of Konrad Adenauer. ed. by Gustav Andreas Tammann and Engelbert Hommel on behalf of the Bundeskanzler-Adenauer-Haus Foundation, Gottschalk-Graphik, Bad Honnef 1999, ISBN 3-9806090-1-4 , pp. 98-102. [Description of the history of the Order of Christ and its bestowal, with ill.]

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The Order of Christ ( Memento from September 24, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
  2. ↑ Paul Winninger: Vanity in the Church. Styria, Graz 1970, p. 28.
Papal orders and decorations
medal

Order of Christ  • Order of the Golden Spur  • Order of Pius  • Order of Gregorius  • Order of New Year

Badge of honor

Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice  • Benemerenti  • Jerusalem pilgrim cross