On 16 October 2012, the Secretariat of State of the Holy See issued a Note of Clarification about Equestrian Orders. These Orders are part of the Holy See’s own honours list and include such distinctions as being a member of the Supreme Order of Christ, the Order of the Golden Spur, the Pian Order, the Order of St Gregory and the Order of St Sylvester. Furthermore, the Catholic Church has always endorsed the Sovereign Military Order of Malta and the Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.

The Note of Clarification declared emphatically that, “all other orders of recent or mediaeval foundation are not recognised by the Holy See”.  It is interesting that the note issued by the Holy See was “in respect of frequent requests for information concerning the recognition by the Holy See of Equestrian Orders”. My sources tell me that some of these requests for clarification came from Malta and Gozo, as some members of recognised Orders and some ordinary Catholics were confused by the fact that churches and chapels were used by the Military and Hospitaller Order of St Lazarus of Jerusalem.

By deduction from the Note of Clarification, the conclusion is that this Order, which is fairly widespread in these islands, is not recognised by the Holy See. The note makes it abundantly clear that the Holy See “does not recognise any of the documents, insignias, membership or even diplomas issued by pretend Orders which claim legitimacy” and concludes by condemning the “inappropriate use of sacred places, like churches or chapels for investiture”.

In defiance of f the Holy See’s instructions, an advert on the internet announced that the Commandery of Gozo (a branch of the Order of St. Lazarus in Malta), would be celebrating Mass at the Manresa Retreat House Chapel on Sunday 5 May, followed by the blessing of the Brevets and presentation of all new postulants, promotions and awards. The blessing was to be conducted by a Catholic priest. It is rather questionable why a Mass is celebrated at a gathering of members of this Order when the same Order officially admits Muslims, Buddhists and members of any denomination claiming to be Christian. Is Holy Communion administered to anyone who presents himself/herself irrespective of their belief in the presence of the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament?

The blessing and presentation of brevets are an introductory part of the ritual of the investiture that enables these postulants to become full members of the Order. It is therefore part of the programme for enrolment in the Order. Why did the Jesuit Fathers allow this part of the St Lazarus enrolment to take place in their chapel when there is an explicit ban from the Holy See? These rituals have nothing to do with the Catholic Church. The advert on the Internet also pointed out that Manresa was a change of venue from the original one. There are pertinent questions to be asked. Why was there a change of venue? Was it because they were refused to hold their Mass and rituals at another church/chapel in Gozo mindful of the Holy See’s clarification? Anyway, what business does a Catholic priest have, being involved with an Order that has been banned from having any of their rituals performed in a Catholic church? Of course, this is not just a worry for Malta, because Catholic priests and bishops have been enrolled as confreres in this organisation. It is a matter for the Holy See to clarify the status of priests and other clerics vis-à-vis membership of non-recognised Equestrian Orders. The faithful will continue to be confused about these issues if the Holy See fails to give the right guidance to the Bishops on this important point.

To create even more confusion in the minds of the faithful, the latest investiture by the Order of St Lazarus was held on Sunday 12 May at St Paul’s Anglican Pro-Cathedral in Valletta. For the ecumenical Order of St Lazarus to make use of an Anglican place of worship for an investiture, having been prohibited from using Catholic churches or chapels is to send a message of defiance to the Holy See. The Catholic Church considers an Anglican Cathedral as a sacred place and the use of it in this context harms the ecumenical endeavour entered into by both Churches. The administrators of the Anglican Pro-Cathedral may have offered their place of worship for the holding of an investiture by the Order of St Lazarus in good faith. The responsibility for such rebuffs to the Holy See rests squarely on the shoulders of the leaders of the Order of St Lazarus both in Malta and in Gozo and particularly on the confreres priests who should know better. 

It is true that the Order of St. Lazarus has an impressive history of philanthropy but charity should not be used to give respectability to any organisation that has been defined by the Holy See as a “pretend Order”.

* This article has been written by a special correspondent who, for good reasons that have been made known to this newspaper, prefers to remain anonymous for the time being. The writer’s full personal details have been provided to this newspaper