The Delegation of Apulia and Basilicata of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George received as a gift from the Bishop of Senigallia, His Excellency the Most Reverend Francesco Manenti, a relic of Blessed Pius IX.

The presentation took place on Monday, 16 March 2026, into the hands of the Delegate, Avv. Dario de Letteriis, Knight Grand Cross of Jure Sanguinis, MP, sealing a moment of intense spirituality and continuity with the tradition of the Constantinian Order. The year 2026 marks the 180th anniversary of the Pontiff’s election, a circumstance that confers significant symbolic value on the solemn donation of the relic, consisting of a particle ex ossibus of the Blessed Pius IX, preserved according to canonical norms.

The event is part of a living and widespread devotion to the Pontiff, which continues to nourish the piety of the faithful and of chivalric institutions. The figure of Blessed Pius IX remains at the center of a well-established liturgical devotion: every year, on 7 February, the anniversary of his pious passing, his memory is celebrated with solemn pontifical ceremonies at the Basilica of Saint Lawrence Outside the Walls, where his mortal remains rest.

This tradition, initiated in 1992 on the occasion of the bicentenary of his birth, sees the participation of cardinals, bishops, and numerous faithful, with the intention of rekindling devotion and imploring the canonization of the Pontiff, long awaited by broad sectors of the Catholic and chivalric world. These celebrations testify to how the figure of Pius IX continues to be a spiritual and historical point of reference for the universal Church and for the world of Catholic tradition [*].

Blessed Pius IX

Blessed Pius IX, born Giovanni Maria Mastai Ferretti in Senigallia on 13 May 1792 and died in the Vatican on 7 February 1878, was the 255th Pope and the last Sovereign of the Papal States. His pontificate (1846–1878) is among the longest in the history of the Church. He was beatified in 2000 by Saint John Paul II.

From a young age he showed a strong religious vocation: educated by the Piarists, he was ordained a priest in 1819. He became a bishop at 35, was created cardinal in 1840, and was finally elected Pope in 1846. Despite his high offices, he always considered himself “a simple priest,” deeply devoted to prayer, the Eucharist, and the care of souls.

His pontificate was marked by important doctrinal and pastoral decisions: in 1854 he proclaimed the dogma of the Immaculate Conception, and in 1869 he opened the First Vatican Council, which in 1870 defined the dogma of papal infallibility. At the same time, he had to face profound political changes linked to the Risorgimento: after granting reforms to the Papal States, he was forced into exile in Gaeta following the upheavals of 1848. Returning to Rome in 1850, he initiated economic recovery and infrastructural development, promoting public works, modernization, and social initiatives.

A figure of profound spirituality and strong historical impact, Blessed Pius IX united a personally austere and devout life with a pontificate marked by decisive events for the Church and for the history of Italy. The Pontiff also held the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George in high regard, recognizing its religious and charitable mission, and nourished a particular affection for the Royal House of the Two Sicilies, historically linked to the Order and guardian of its traditions.

The donation of the relic therefore takes on the character of a gesture of deep ecclesial and chivalric significance: not only a remembrance of the past, but a concrete invitation to renew commitment in the witness of Faith, in active charity, and in the defense of Christian values.

PHOTOGRAPH BELOW:

His Majesty Francis II with Pope Pius IX at Anzio

Pope Pius IX at Anzio in 1862 on the occasion of military maneuvers of the army of the Papal States, with His Majesty Francis II, King of the Two Sicilies (in formal dress beside the Pope); General Hermann Kanzler, Commander-in-Chief of the army of the Papal States; the Minister of War, Monsignor Saviero de Mérode; and Lieutenant Colonel Athanase de Charette, Commander of the Pontifical Zouaves.