Cardinal Martino invests new knights and dames

Cardinal Renato Raffaele Martino, the Grand Prior of the Constantinian Order, and Archbishop George Stack of Cardiff have concelebrated Mass at Westminster Cathedral.

The Mass marked the investiture of 38 new knights and dames of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St George and Royal Order of Francis I. They are internationally recognised orders of knighthood devoted to the promotion of the Catholic faith and undertake charitable, hospitaller and inter-religious activities at home and abroad.

The order’s Rome-based Grand Master, Prince Carlo of Bourbon Two Sicilies, Duke of Castro, presided over the ceremony, which was attended by 550 people including 60 knights and dames.

Among those invested were former Irish prime minister John Bruton, Archbishop Athanasius Toma Dawood, leader of the Syrian Orthodox Church in Britain, Princess Elena of Romania, Austrian Prince Peter von Hohenberg, parliamentarians Lord Brennan, Lord Lingfield, Baroness Cox and Nirj Deva MEP, John McIntosh and Mick Clarke of the Passage.