London, 28 July 2012. On the occasion of the visit of the Grand Master and the Grand Prior of the Constantinian Order, the Delegate for Great Britain and Ireland and Grand Magistral Delegate for Inter-Relgious Relations of the Constantinian Order addressed the knights, dames and medallists of the Order during the Royal Gala Dinner held at Stationers’ Hall in London. Here is the speech in full:
“Your Excellencies, Your Royal Highnesses, Your Eminence, Your Graces,My Lords, Dear friends and distinguished guests.”
“The world really has come to London for the 30th Olympiad; and what a great occasion it is! Those of us lucky to be at last night’s opening ceremony can only take pride at the dazzling creativity and humour on display.”
“But what makes me very happy is that the Olympics have brought so many of you here. We are delighted to have with us tonight, once again, our Grand Master, HRH Prince Carlo of Bourbon Two Sicilies, Duke of Castro, and the Duchess of Castro; I welcome, too, the Prime Minister of St Lucia, The Honourable Kenny Anthony, as well as many heads of state and ministers of sport; and my father-in-law, Prince Peter von Hohenberg, who has travelled from Vienna to be with us. I am delighted that we also have also present many distinguished leaders of the Catholic and Orthodox Churches here in Great Britain: His Excellency, the Apostolic Nuncio to Great Britain; Their Graces the Archbishops of Westminster & Cardiff, and the Bishop of Menevia; as well as Their Eminences, the leaders of the Russian, Georgian, Ukrainian and Greek Orthodox Churches in Great Britain.”
“I welcome you all warmly not just as a Delegate of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St George, but also as a Londoner. You will be relieved to know that our gala dinner tonight is not sponsored by any of the large corporations behind the Games; and so the menu is a little more varied than I believe they have been offered in Olympic City; and our clothes, fortunately, do not compete with the logos of sports manufacturers. But I would like to single out Mgr Vladimir Felzmann, who is the chief executive of the John Paul II Foundation for Sport, who is wearing official Olympic wear instead of his customary clericals …”
“Mgr Felzmann has done much to educate us, especially Catholics, in the deeper significance of the Games, and why we should delight in them. We have many reasons to be grateful for the Olympics tonight — yes, because they have brought us together from many different nations; but also because the values which they promote are ones with which our Order can easily identify.”
“Those values were promoted by the founder of the modern Games, a Jesuit-educated French aristocrat and school reformer in the late nineteenth century. Baron Pierre de Coubertin’s idea of an international athletics competition was not for its own sake, but to promote the values which he saw in the ancient Games: peace and understanding between nations; a struggle to overcome our own limitations as being more important than winning. The Games, says the Olympic Charter, seek “a way of life based on the joy of effort, the educational value of good example and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles”, and a “peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity.”
“Still, for some of us the Olympics bring more than a share of discomfort. The unceasing parade of lean and healthy bodies may have the effect of causing us to look in the mirror rather more than we are accustomed to doing; and if you are like me, you may find yourself making awkward comparisons.”
“Our bishops, unfortunately, have prevented us taking refuge from all this physicality in spirituality, quoting St Paul urging the Corinthians to use our bodies for the glory of God, and calling us to a healthier and more balanced lifestyle. My wife is hoping that I will be inspired by this heady mixture of faith and sport to make a few lifestyle changes. But the bishops warn against the temptation to judge ourselves against an unrealistic ideal of the ‘perfect body’ so often promoted by commercial interests. You don’t really want me to look like Bradley Wiggins? I ask my wife — and then quickly leave the room before she can reply.”
“Two of the great phrases associated with the Olympic motto originated, as Baron de Coubertin acknowledged, with churchmen. The Olympic motto, citius, altius, fortius (“faster, higher, stronger”), was the brainchild of Fr Henri Didon OP, a French Dominican priest. The second, “Not the winning but the taking part”, came in a sermon by Ethelbert Talbot, Bishop of Central Pennsylvania, at St Paul’s Cathedral during the 1908 London Olympics, as he tried to calm the anger generated by both the British and American teams as they accused each other of cheating.”
“These are noble ideals, ideals of conduct and relationships, which are the hallmarks of nobility. That is why, in our Order, we retain the categories of Justice and Grace, open only to nobles, because they send an important symbolic message about the desirability of certain values and virtues that we should all aspire to. These ideals of conduct which are more than ever relevant to modern leadership; and I say this, conscious of the many distinguished heads of state and government ministers who are now part of our Order’s family.”
“Distinguished guests, the Olympic spirit is above all a spirit of peace, symbolised in the famous Olympic Truce. The Games of ancient Greece were an opportunity, every four years, to help repair a fragmented society. For the 2012 Games, the Truce has been signed and co-sponsored by all 193 nations taking part. And it is the inspiration behind many initiatives here in Britain, such as the Church-led ‘100 Days of Peace’ project aiming to make our streets safer and our communities more trusting.”
“Because we badly need this kind of renewal, we are most fortunate to have had this year, not just the Olympics, but also the celebration of the Diamond Jubilee of our Queen, who embodies the ideals of self-giving, service, loyalty and duty.”
“Distinguished guests, dear friends, as you know our Order is strongly committed to the service of the less fortunate. In recent years this has resulted in millions in financial aid and charitable support to adopted charities of the Order. Our very diverse programme of charitable, hospitaller and humanitarian activities across the world is the result of Knights and Dames actively raising funds for charities and similar organisations adopted both by the Grand Magistry in Rome, as well as through each national delegation. The projects we support enable vulnerable and marginalised people to hear that they are ‘more than Gold’ in the eyes of God.”
“So, too, our interfaith work, which helps to bring about the Olympic ideal of universal fraternity. The Royal Order of Francis I was created in the mid-1800s to honour people of other denominations and faiths and indeed no faith who have contributed to the wellbeing of their society. Our interfaith conferences bring together leaders of Christian, Muslim and Jewish communities, in many parts of world.”
“In the Autumn, for example, we are hosting a high-level delegation between Hungary, UK and Italy here in London; following the very successful interfaith conference in Bulgaria and next year, we have plans for inter-faith conferences in Colombia, Kosovo, Italy, and Jordan.”
“By recognising, in this way, those who have helped to build up society, we are able to build the bonds of trust between people and between nations. It is in giving, that we receive; and that is why we can be confident that we can build here something better, for others; and that our efforts, as Knights and Dames, have value and meaning — whether in sport, or charitable endeavour or interfaith work, in building understanding and friendship among the peoples.”
“I wish you a very happy time among us — and at these great Games.”
To download Anthony Bailey’s Speech please click here.
To watch the Speech of Anthony Bailey, click here.