On Wednesday 20 November 2024 at 6.30 pm at the Magistral Basilica of Santa Croce in via Flaminia (in via Guido Reni 2/D in Rome), the monthly Holy Mass of the Delegation of Rome and Vatican City of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George took place. It was followed at 7.30 pm by the conference dedicated to the presentation of the book by Prof. Enzo Cantarano, Formation Director of the Delegation, and Prof. Luisa Carina Cantarano, respectively Knight and Dame of Merit with Silver Star, entitled Christian Chivalry between power and mercy – Considerations for the brothers and sisters of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George. At the end of the meeting a confraternal meal was held.
The celebration of the Mass was presided over by the Chief Chaplain for Central Italy, Monsignor Carlo Dell’Osso, Chaplain of Justice, with concelebrants the Parish Priest of Santa Croce al Flaminio, Father Carletto Di Stefano, C.S.S. and the Parish Priest of San Valentino ai Parioli, Father Maurizio Modugno, Chaplain of Merit, in the presence of the Delegate for Rome and Vatican City, Prof. Giuseppe Schlitzer, Knight Grand Cross of Merit.
In his homily, Monsignor Dell’Osso reflected on the end of the liturgical year and the beginning of the Advent period. He also urged his brothers to pray for peace as the Jubilee year approaches.
The book Christian Chivalry between power and mercy – Considerations for the brothers and sisters of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George (Youcanprint 2024, 216 pages) – whose publication we announced on 18 May 2024 – is presented as a collection of contributions from various authors, although most of the chapters were written by the Editor, Prof. Enzo Cantarano. The book – enriched by the Preface by the Grand Master HRH Prince Pedro of Bourbon Two of Sicilies, Duke of Calabria, Count of Caserta, Head of the Royal House of the Two Sicilies – analyzes the aspects of being a knight and the relationships that chivalry has had and continues to have with authority and power. The results of the research enrich the cultural heritage and awareness of the Constantinian Order, delving deeply into the concepts of spirituality, ethics and mercy.
At the Presentation, which took place at the Chapel of the Holy Spouses adjacent to the Parish of Santa Croce al Flaminio, after introductions were made by the Representative for Cultural Activities of the Delegation, Nob. Carlo Alberto Baracchi Tua, Count of Paullo, Knight of Jure Sanguinis with Gold Star, the editors of the book spoke. In particular, the Co-Editor Prof. Luisa Carini Cantarano spoke on the specific topic she dealt with in the volume: The power of mercy- Ladies in the Orders of Chivalry.
In his talk, the Editor Prof. Enzo Cantarano highlighted how Christian chivalry is an institution which, through discernment and reason, allows us to rediscover the values advocated in Christianity, being immutable and therefore present and valid even in current society. Orders of chivalry, moreover, are often accused of being formalistic and empty, but this interpretation is the result of a certain modern and materialist positivism. In contrast to this view, Prof. Cantarano underlined how in reality the Constantinian Order is the bearer of values that are also valid for contemporaries and that the Constantinian Knights are called to live in their daily lives, especially under the aspect of mercy, a theme always dear to Pope Francis. In this regard, Prof. Cantarano, on the basis of what the Gospels and the best philosophical tradition have said on the concept of mercy, explained how in the relationship between power and mercy, the interpretative figure must be found in the interpretation of power as a service that expresses itself in favor of the weakest, taking up the central theme of the volume which is the subject of the Presentation.
In a complementary manner, the Co-Editor Prof. Luisa Carini Cantarano centered her speech on what was exposed in the chapter she wrote in the volume (The power of mercy: the Ladies in the Orders of Chivalry), dedicated to women in orders of chivalry and the evolution of the figure of women. Through a detailed historical excursus, not leaving aside even preliminary theological aspects taken from other religions, and with the help of period images, we learned how various female figures of antiquity were even fighters in the first person, with well ahead of the demands of modern feminism, detaching itself from the classic role of women. Subsequently, the orders of chivalry themselves granted a significant role to women in assisting pilgrims and the sick, challenging many deep-rooted conceptions of the time. Over time, then, real female Orders were born, in which women could also realize themselves from a human and Christian point of view. Prof. Carini Cantarano therefore recalled the figures of many ancient, but modern at the same time, women who did not surrender to the rules of their times and their society: all figures that the current Ladies of the Constantinian Order can profitably take as inspiration, especially since Saint Basil himself, in his Rule, sanctioned the equality of the sexes, writing in a very different era from the current one.
In addition to the Delegate and those already mentioned, there were also present, among others: the General Secretary of the Delegation of Rome and Vatican City, Dr. Michele Cantarano, Knight of Jure Sanguinis; the General Secretary of the Chancellery of the Royal Commission for Italy and Councilor of the Royal Deputation, His Serene Highness Prince Maurizio Gonzaga del Vodice di Vescovato, Knight Grand Cross of Justice; the Councilor of the Royal Commission for Italy and Curator of the Magistral Basilica of Santa Croce al Flaminio, Dr. Lorenzo De Notaristefani, Knight Grand Cross of Justice; the Canon Law Consultant of the Royal Commission for Italy, Nob. Attorney Alfonso Marini Dettina, Knight Grand Cross of Jure Sanguinis with Gold Star; and the Knights of Justice H.E. the Marquis Dr. Marco Leone di Cusano and Dr. Maurizio Bettoja.
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