Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice

Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice

Awarded by the Holy See
Art	Cross of Merit
Awarded for	Services to the Catholic Church and the Papacy
status	is awarded
Data
Foundation year	July 17, 1888
Benefactor	Leo XIII.
Awards	The Holy See does not keep statistics on the awards.
Precedence
Next higher award	New Year's Order
Next lower award	Benemerenti

The Cross of Honor Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice ( lat. "For Church and Pope") is a papal badge of honor for special services to the concerns of the Church and the Pope.

It can be awarded to members of the clergy as well as to male and female lay people .

history

The honorary badge was donated by Pope Leo XIII. on July 17, 1888 on the occasion of his golden jubilee as a priest with the letter Quod singulari Dei concessu . Initially, the award was only intended for people who had rendered outstanding services to the celebrations. It was not until 1898 that the badge of honor became permanent.

Originally, the Cross of Merit was awarded in two stages ( gold and silver ). Later, the additional bronze tier was added as the third. Pope Pius X reduced the number of levels to one in 1908, so that only the gold level has existed since then .

The Cross of Merit is worn on the left side of the chest after the letter Quod singulari Dei concessu .

Until 1993 it was the highest papal honor women could receive.

layout

The first version of the cross from 1888 was backed by fleurs-de-lis and showed a portrait of Leo XIII. in the middle of the arms of the cross, on which there are comets . The lily and the comet are elements of the Pecci family coat of arms , from which the Pope came. The Latin inscription Leo XIII PM Ann. X (= Leo [ne] XIII P [ontifice] M [aximo] Ann [o] X) includes the middle field and refers to the foundation of the award in the tenth year of the pontificate. On the back is the coat of arms of the Holy See with the inscription PRO ECCLESIA ET PONTIFICE in the center . The words Prid [ie] , Cal [culatio] , Ian [uar] and 1888 are on the arms of the cross . The badge of honor hung on a red ribbon , which was broken at the edges by white ribbons streaked with dark yellow.

Pope Paul VI had the appearance of the cross fundamentally revised in 1970/71. At this time, the Benemerenti medal also received a new design. The badge of honor consists of a stylized cross with the Pope's name and coat of arms and the inscription PRO ECCLESIA ET PONTIFICE . The apostles Peter and Paul are depicted in the center of the cross . Since then, it has been held by a broad ribbon in the papal colors of yellow and white.

With the pontificate of Benedict XVI. the personal coat of arms and the Pope's name were omitted, and were replaced by a cross and the coat of arms of the Holy See .

Award

The Cross of Merit can be awarded to lay people, religious and deacons who have performed special full-time or honorary service for the diocese and church that went beyond professional or official duties.

The bishoprics and dioceses have laid down the award procedure in their honorary ordinances . As a rule, the diocesan bishop forwards the award proposal to the Holy See . The cross of honor is presented with a certificate from the responsible bishop or the suggesting parish priest. Awards of the Cross of Honor are not recorded in the Acta Apostolicae Sedis .

gallery

Version from 1888
Version from 1978 to 2005
Uniform of a papal Zouave with a cross of merit
Ellen Ammann with Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice

Remarks

↑ The article in the Catholic Encyclopedia (see web links) incorrectly states the right-hand side.
↑ There is information about the existence of a purple ribbon with white and yellow edges, which is said to have been used from 1893 to 1908. The author of this note is not aware of such a volume. It is probably about the visual implementation based on the description in the papal letter Quod singulari Dei concessu : "[...] purpurei coloris linea alba flavaque ad utramque oram virgata dependeat [...]". The translation of “purpurei coloris” as violet and not as purple and “linea alba flavaque” as a yellow-white line leads to a different appearance of the ribbon. Compare with:

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d Peter Bander van Duren: Orders of Knighthood and Merit ( EN ). Colin Smythe, Gerrards Cross 1995, ISBN 9780861403714 , p. 621.
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Badge of Honor (also referred to as "" Cross of Honor "") "" Pro Ecclesia et Pontefice "" ( DE ) Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co. KG. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
↑ ^a ^b Friedrich Marquis Guigue de Champvans de Farémont: History and legislation of the orders of knights, decorations and medals of the Holy See according to official sources ( DE ). Institut historique et hèraldique de France, Paris 1932, p. 22.
^ ^A ^b Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice For the Church and the Pope ( EN ) antique-photos.com. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
↑ Norbert Göckener: What are papal honorary titles? ( DE ) Dialog-Medien and Emmaus-Reisen GmbH. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
↑ Michael Autengruber: Orders and decorations from all over the world. Holy See and Vatican. The Dr. Norbert Herkner, ( DE ). Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co. KG, Kassel February 9, 2015, ISBN 978-3-941357-06-8 , p. 218.
↑ Regulations for conferring honorary titles and decorations in the Diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart (Honor Regulations) ( Memento from August 10, 2012 in the Internet Archive )

Web links

Commons : Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice - collection of images, videos and audio files

Cross Pro-Ecclesia Et Pontifice ( Memento from June 25, 2018 in the Internet Archive ) In: www.ewtn.com. Retrieved April 30, 2018
Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice For the Church and the Pope In: antique-photos.com. Retrieved April 30, 2018
Ulrich Nersinger: Papal orders of knights and awards. In: ZENIT.org, May 18, 2007.
PMJ Rock: Pontifical Decorations In: The Catholic Encyclopedia , New York: Robert Appleton Company, Vol. 4 1908. Retrieved April 30, 2018

[5] The article in the Catholic Encyclopedia (see web links) incorrectly states the right-hand side.

[7] There is information about the existence of a purple ribbon with white and yellow edges, which is said to have been used from 1893 to 1908. The author of this note is not aware of such a volume. It is probably about the visual implementation based on the description in the papal letter Quod singulari Dei concessu : "[...] purpurei coloris linea alba flavaque ad utramque oram virgata dependeat [...]". The translation of “purpurei coloris” as violet and not as purple and “linea alba flavaque” as a yellow-white line leads to a different appearance of the ribbon. Compare with:

[BvD95621-1] Peter Bander van Duren: Orders of Knighthood and Merit ( EN ). Colin Smythe, Gerrards Cross 1995, ISBN 9780861403714 , p. 621.

[kuenker-2] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Badge of Honor (also referred to as "" Cross of Honor "") "" Pro Ecclesia et Pontefice "" ( DE ) Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co. KG. Retrieved April 30, 2018.

[champvans1932-3] Friedrich Marquis Guigue de Champvans de Farémont: History and legislation of the orders of knights, decorations and medals of the Holy See according to official sources ( DE ). Institut historique et hèraldique de France, Paris 1932, p. 22.

[antpho-4] A ^b Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice For the Church and the Pope ( EN ) antique-photos.com. Retrieved April 30, 2018.

[6] Norbert Göckener: What are papal honorary titles? ( DE ) Dialog-Medien and Emmaus-Reisen GmbH. Retrieved July 15, 2019.

[Autengruber218-8] Michael Autengruber: Orders and decorations from all over the world. Holy See and Vatican. The Dr. Norbert Herkner, ( DE ). Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co. KG, Kassel February 9, 2015, ISBN 978-3-941357-06-8 , p. 218.

[ROTT-STUTT-9] Regulations for conferring honorary titles and decorations in the Diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart (Honor Regulations) ( Memento from August 10, 2012 in the Internet Archive )


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