British Activities
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Constantinian Order knights decreed into Royal Order of Danilo I of Montenegro. Podgorica - December 2007.
HRH Crown Prince Nicholas II of Montenegro has decreed three delegation Knights into the Royal Order of Danilo I. The awards of Knight Grand Cross have been awarded to the Constantinian Order’s Grand Magistral Delegate for Inter-Religious Relations, HE Anthony Bailey, and to HE Ambassador Dr Peter Löw. Dr Martin Vorderwülbecke was decreed to the rank of Knight Commander. The awards were made in recognition of their contribution to interfaith and charitable work within Montenegro.
The Montenegro dynasty ruled from 1711 and in 2007 Montenegro regained its full independence following a referendum to separate from Serbia. The first Montenegrin state Order was established by HRH Prince Danilo Petrovic in 1853, as the Order of Danilo I for the independence of Montenegro in 1852-53. This Decoration is still awarded to prominent champions of the preservation of Montenegrin independence and the conditions by which the Order is awarded were defined by Statute. Many deserving men and women have been awarded the Order of Prince Danilo I over time including foreigners. The illustrious list includes many decorated servicemen during the World Wars and a host of other notables, including Queen Victoria and King Edward VII of Great Britain. Recent recipients include HE The President of the Republic of Montenegro, HMEH Fra’ Andrew Bertie, Prince and Grand Master of the Order of Malta, HSH Sovereign Prince Albert II of Monaco, HRH The Duke of Braganza, HRH The Count of Paris and other senior members of reigning and non-reigning dynasties. The Order is recognised by the Republic of Montenegro.
Longstanding Constantinian Knight Archbishop Couve de Murville dies. Littlehampton – November 2007.
The Chancery regrets to announce the death of 21 November 2007 of The Most Reverend Maurice Couve de Murville, Emeritus Archbishop of Birmingham and an Ecclesiastical Knight Grand Cross of Grace of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George. Archbishop Couve de Murville was invested into the Order on 12 July 1994. For a full obituary please visit the Obituaries section on this website.
Delegate Lord Brennan attends wedding of Anthony Bailey and the Princess of Hohenberg. Salzburg – October 2007.
The Council of the Delegation for Great Britain and Ireland extends its heartiest congratulations to the former British and Irish Delegate, HE Mr Anthony Bailey, on the occasion of his marriage to HSH Princess Marie-Therese von Hohenberg of Austria. The marriage took place at the Archabbey of St Peter’s in Salzburg, Austria, on 27 October 2007.
The Nuptial Mass will be concelebrated by HE Archbishop Eugenio Sbarbaro, Apostolic Nuncio to Serbia, together with The Rt Rev George Stack, Auxiliary Bishop of Westminster and representing the Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster, the Rt Rev Thomas Burns Bishop of HM Armed Forces, His Grace Edmund Wagenhofer, Archabbot of St Peter’s and Father Michael Seed from Westminster Cathedral. Several Papal Knights were in attendance.
Apostolic Blessings were read out during the Nuptial Mass which were sent by Pope Benedict XVI, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, Lord Carey of Clifton, and Ignatius Zakka I Iwas, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East of the Syriac Orthodox Universal Church.
The Delegate HE Lord Brennan of Bibury QC and the Vice Delegate Judge Patrick Clyne attended together with other senior knights and dames of Constantinian Order and the Royal Order of Francis I. Messages of congratulations were also sent by the Grand Master, HRH The Duke of Castro, the Grand Prefect, HRH The Duke of Calabria and by the Grand Chancellor, HE Marchese Aldo Pezzana Capranica del Grillo.
The Prior of the British and Irish Delegation, His Eminence Cormac, Cardinal Murphy-O’Connor, Archbishop of Westminster as well as being represented by Bishop George Stack, also sent a congratulatory message to the couple.
Constantinian Order Order mass celebrated. Norfolk – September 2007.
On the occasion of the Feast of the Triumph of the Cross a mass was held at St Dominic’s Catholic Church, Downham Market, Norfolk, for the Knights and Dames of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St George. The mass was celebrated by Constantinian Order chaplain Father Edmund Eggleston.
Delegation Dame Baroness Scotland of Asthal, QC, appointed Attorney General. London – July 2007.
The Chancery of the British and Irish Delegation extends its warmest congratulations to The Rt Hon Baroness Scotland of Asthal, QC, following her promotion to the Cabinet and appointment by Prime Minister Gordon Brown as Attorney General. Baroness Scotland previously served under the Government of Tony Blair as Minister of State at the Home Office.
Baroness Scotland is an active member of the British and Irish Delegation. She was first invested into the Order as a Dame of Merit with Star in November 2003, and also spoke on prison reform at the Delegation’s 2006 Royal Gala Dinner.
Sir Sigmund Sternberg honoured by the President of Romania. – July 2007.
The Chancery of the British and Irish Delegation extends it congratulations to Sir Sigmund Sternberg on his appointment as a Commander of the National Order for Merit which has been conferred on him by His Excellency Traian Bãsescu, President of the Republic of Romania. Sir Sigmund received the award in recognition of his inter-faith activities in Romania.
Princess Michael of Kent honoured by the Order of Malta. London – June 2007.
The Chancery of the British and Irish Delegation extends its congratulations to Princess Michael of Kent following her appointment as a Dame Grand Cross of Honour and Devotion of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta within the Order’s British Association.
Her Royal Highness, the senior Dame of the British and Irish Delegation of the Constantinian Order, was invested into the Order of Malta at a ceremony held recently in London. Princess Michael was invested into the Constantinian Order in 1994 as a Dame Grand Cross of Justice.
Delegation Knight awarded the Royal Victorian Order in The Queen’s Birthday Honours. London – June 2007.
The Chancery of the British and Irish Delegation extends congratulations and best wishes to Air Vice-Marshal David Hawkins-Leth, CB, MBE,
KCFO, DL, QC, on the occasion on his appointment as a Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order (LVO) in The Queen’s Birthday Honours list. The award was made to the Air Vice Marshal for services rendered to the Sovereign in his capacity as Gentleman Usher to The Queen.
The Air Vice Marshal is an active member of the British and Irish Delegation, was appointed a Knight Commander of the Royal Order of Francis I in a ceremony held in November 2006 at London’s Westminster Cathedral.
Constantinian Order to host Bulgarian Inter-Faith Delegation. London – June 2007.
The Grand Magistral Delegation for Inter-Religious Relations and the Delegation for Great Britain and Ireland of the Constantinian Order will host the first ever exchange visit of Bulgarian Christian, Muslim and Jewish leaders to the UK from 20-22 June 2007.
The two day visit will include a delegation of the leaders of the Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Protestant Muslim and Jewish communities in Bulgaria. A conference will be held in Central London on 21 June 2007 from 10am-2pm at St Ethelburga's Centre for Reconciliation and Peace in the presence of leading British religious figures including the Delegation’s Sub Prior, The Rt Rev Bishop George Stack of Westminster, His Eminence Archbishop Gregorios of Thyateira and Great Britain, and leaders of Britain’s Anglican, Muslim and Jewish communities.
The British Prime Minister will be represented by his envoy to the faith communities, The Rt Hon John Battle, MP and the Constantinian Order by the Grand Magistral Delegate for Inter-Religious Relations, HE Mr Anthony Bailey.
The visit has been organised by the Constantinian Order in conjunction with the Bulgarian Embassy in London, St Ethelburga's Centre for Reconciliation and the Three Faith Forum. To make the occasion both the British and Bulgarian Prime Ministers sent messages of congratulations welcoming the initiative so soon after the Balkan nation’s recent accession to the European Union. To download the message click here.
Admission is free and if you wish to attend please contact Brannie Nacheva 020 7591 0619 or bnacheva@constantinian.org.uk.
To mark the occasion, a booklet has been produced which can be downloaded by
clicking here.
Having Faith in Foreign Policy.
The Foreign Policy Centre and the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St George are delighted to invite you to attend the launch of the new report, ‘Having Faith in Foreign Policy’. This collection of essays brings together faith leaders and intellectuals to discuss, debate and attempt to answer some of the most vexed questions of our age: what is the relationship between religion and the state in a post-modern society; what is the interaction between faith, conflict and development and how can governments and leaders reach out to citizens who may feel disengaged from foreign policy? Following the speeches will be a Question & Answer session.
Speakers: The Rt Hon John Battle MP, Prime Minister’s Envoy to the Faith Communities, The Rt Rev Dr Michael Nazir-Ali, Anglican Bishop of Rochester,
Anthony Bailey KCSS, Chief Policy Adviser, Foreign Policy Centre, Urmee Khan of The Guardian. Chair: Richard Stone.
Date: Wednesday 6 June 2007. Time: 2pm to 4pm. Venue: Committee Room 10, House of Commons, SW1A 0AA (Please use St Stephen’s Entrance). RSVP: events@fpc.org.uk.
“A Night Under The Stars” Charity Concert in aid of The Passage to take place on 7 November 2007 at Central Hall in Westminster.
The British & Irish Delegation is pleased to announce that this year’s charity concert “A Night Under the Stars” in aid of our adopted charity The Passage will take place at 7:30pm on 7 November at Central Hall in Westminster. The last five concerts have raised nearly half a million pounds for The Passage to help continue its humanitarian mission of assisting homeless people to get back into society.
The evening will once again be a superb mixture of music, songs and performances from the country's most original musicians and comedians. Stars who have previously appeared include Sir Roger Moore, Sir Donald Sinden, opera divas Dame Ann Murray and Maria Ewing, as well as pop stars like Darius. Comedian Rory Bremner has also starred in almost every show. In this year’s concert there will be some surprising new artists as well as some of the old stars.
The guests of honour at the evening will be HRH Princess Michel of Kent and His Eminence Cormac, Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor, Archbishop of Westminster.
The pre-concert reception and the post-concert champagne reception will take place at The Banqueting House in Whitehall.
For tickets and booking information please telephone The Passage directly on 020 7592 1856 or visit their website: www.passage.org.uk.
Westminster Cathedral to host ecumenical event. London – February 2007.
Westminster Cathedral will host a Lenten ecumenical event to mark the season of fasting in preparation for Easter. His Eminence Archbishop Mar Athanasius Toma Dowod, Patriarchal Vicar of the Syrian Orthodox Church in Great Britain and Ireland will lead a special service of Syrian Orthodox Vespers. The service will be held in the presence of His Excellency Archbishop Faustino Sainz Muñoz, Apostolic Nuncio to the Court of St James’s, from 3pm-4pm on Saturday 10 March 2007. All are welcome.
Delegate for Inter-Religious Relations meets The Amir of Kuwait. London – February 2007.
On the occasion of the Official Visit to the United Kingdom, the Grand Magistral Delegate for Inter-Religious Relations, HE Mr Anthony Bailey ,attended a reception in honour of, and met with, His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Amir of the State of Kuwait. The reception at the Kuwaiti Residence in London was hosted by the Ambassador of the State of Kuwait to the Court of St James’s, His Excellency Mr Khaled Al-Duwaisan, GCVO. Ambassador Al-Duwaisan has been a strong supporter of inter-religious initiatives at home and abroad.
Delegate for Inter-Religious Relations meets the Prime Minister of Bulgaria. London – February 2007.
HE Mr Anthony Bailey, the Grand Magistral Delegate for Inter-Religious Relations, attended a reception in honour of, and met with His Excellency Mr Sergei Stanishev, Prime Minister of the Republic of Bulgaria on the occasion of the Official Visit to the United Kingdom. Bulgaria became a full member of the European Union on 1 January 2007.
The reception at the Bulgarian Embassy in London was hosted by the Ambassador of the Republic of Bulgaria to the Court of St James’s, His Excellency Dr Lachezar Matev. The Ambassador, who is a Knight Commander of the Royal Order of Francis I, has been a strong advocate of inter-religious initiatives at home and abroad. During early summer 2007 it is expected that an inter-religious conference will be hosted by the Order in Britain attended by leading Bulgarian and British religious leaders.
Grand Magistral Delegate attends dinner in honour of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I. London - January 2007.
HE Mr Anthony Bailey, Grand Magistral Delegate for Inter-Religious Relations, attended a dinner in honour of His All Holiness Bartholomew I, Archbishop of Constantinople, New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch of the Orthodox Church. His All Holiness, who resides in Istanbul, recently received His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI on the occasion of his State Visit to the Republic of Turkey in what was heralded as a significant inter-religious occasion between the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches.
The event was hosted by His Eminence Archbishop Gregorios of Thyateira and Great Britain. The dinner took place at a central London hotel in the presence of leading religious, state and diplomatic figures. Among the Roman Catholics attending were HE The Apostolic Nuncio and His Grace The Archbishop of Southwark.
To download His All Holiness's speech click here.
Delegation Council meets at House of Lords. London - January 2007.
HE The Rt Hon Lord Brennan of Bibury, QC, hosted a Council Meeting of the Delegation of Great Britain and Ireland at the House of Lords in London. Among those attending were: HE Mr Anthony Bailey, Grand Magistral Delegate for the Inter-Religious Relations, The Rt Hon Prof Lord Alton of Liverpool, Mr Norman Gooding, Mr Dudley Heathcote, Mr John King, Colonel Thomas Ogilvie-Graham, Dr Colin Smythe and Delegation Secretary Miss Brannie Nacheva.
British and Irish Delegate congratulates predecessor on his engagement. London – January 2007.
The Delegate for Great Britain and Ireland, HE The Rt Hon Lord Brennan of Bibury, QC, extended to his congratulations to his predecessor, Mr Anthony Bailey, now Grand Magistral Delegate for Inter-Religious Relations, on the occasion of his engagement to HSH Princess Marie-Therese von Hohenberg, daughter of HSH Prince Peter von Hohenberg and HSH Princess Christine von Hohenberg of Austria.
Delegation Knight Sir Desmond de Silva, QC, knighted in The Queen’s New Year's Honours. London – January 2007.
The Chancery of the British and Irish Delegation extends its sincere congratulations and best wishes to Sir Desmond de Silva, QC, on the occasion on his appointment as a Knight Bachelor in The Queen’s New Year's Honours list.
The award was made to Sir Desmond for services rendered to the international community. Sir Desmond held the post of Chief Prosecutor of the United Nation’s backed International War Crimes Tribunal in the Republic of Sierra Leone until his retirement in 2006.
Sir Desmond, an active member of the British and Irish Delegation, was appointed a Knight Commander of the Royal Order of Francis I in a ceremony held in November 2001 at London’s Westminster Cathedral and conducted the Rt Rev George Stack, Auxiliary Bishop of Westminster, Sub-Prior of the British and Irish Delegation.
Sir Desmond’s wife, HRH Princess Katarina of Yugoslavia, holds the rank of Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Francis I since 2001. |
