The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem,also called the Order of the Holy Sepulchre or Knights of the Holy Sepulchre,is a Catholic order of knighthood under the protection of the Holy See. The Pope is the sovereign of the order. The order creates canons as well as knights,with the primary mission to "support the Christian presence in the Holy Land". It is an internationally recognised order of chivalry. The order today is estimated to have some 30,000 knights and dames in 60 lieutenancies around the world. The Cardinal Grand Master has been Fernando Filoni since 2019,and the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem is ex officio the Order's Grand Prior. Its headquarters are situated at the Palazzo Della Rovere and its official church in Sant'Onofrio al Gianicolo,both in Rome,close to Vatican City. In 1994,Pope John Paul II declared the Virgin Mary as the order's patron saint under the title "Blessed Virgin Mary,Queen of Palestine".
Daniel Nicholas DiNardo is an American cardinal of the Catholic Church. He is the second and current archbishop of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston in Texas,serving since 2006. He previously served as coadjutor bishop and bishop of the Diocese of Sioux City in Iowa from 1997 to 2004.
The Pontifical Academy of Sciences is a scientific academy of the Vatican City,established in 1936 by Pope Pius XI. Its aim is to promote the progress of the mathematical,physical,and natural sciences and the study of related epistemological problems. The Accademia Pontificia dei Nuovi Lincei was founded in 1847 as a more closely supervised successor to the Accademia dei Lincei established in Rome in 1603 by the learned Roman Prince,Federico Cesi (1585–1630),who was a young botanist and naturalist,and which claimed Galileo Galilei as its president. The Accademia dei Lincei survives as a wholly separate institution.
Franc Rode is a Slovenian cardinal of the Catholic Church. He is the prefect emeritus of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life,having served as prefect from 2004 to 2011. He was elevated to the cardinalate in 2006.
Giuseppe Lazzarotto KC*HS is an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who worked in the diplomatic service of the Holy See from 1971 to 2017,with the rank of apostolic nuncio and an archbishop since 1994.
William Joseph Levada was an American cardinal of the Catholic Church. From May 2005 until June 2012,he served as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith under Pope Benedict XVI;he was the highest ranking American in the Roman Curia. He was previously the Archbishop of Portland in Oregon from 1986 to 1995,and then Archbishop of San Francisco from 1995 to 2005. While serving as archbishop,he was criticized for covering up sexual abuse by priests within his jurisdiction. Levada was created a cardinal in 2006 by Benedict XVI.
Paolo Romeo is an Italian cardinal and archbishop emeritus of Palermo. He was appointed to the see of Palermo by Pope Benedict XVI on 19 December 2006.
Nicola Canali was an Italian cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as president of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State from 1939 and as Major Penitentiary from 1941 until his death,and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1935. He was Grand Master of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem,a prestigious papal order of knighthood,from 1949 until 1960.
Raffaele Farina SDB is an Italian cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was Archivist of the Vatican Secret Archives,Librarian of the Vatican Library,and president of Scuola Vaticana di Paleografia,Diplomatica e Archivistica. Farina was elevated to the cardinalate in 2007.
Timothy Paul Andrew Broglio KC*HS is an American Catholic prelate who has served as Archbishop for the Military Services,USA,since 2008 and as president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops since 2022. Broglio previously served as Apostolic Nuncio to the Dominican Republic and Apostolic Delegate to Puerto Rico from 2001 to 2008.
Mariano Hugo,Prince of Windisch-Graetz is the current head of the Austrian House of Windisch-Graetz. He is currently a member of the Grand Magisterium of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. A former ambassador of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta to Slovakia,he is also currently the Order's ambassador to Slovenia. He also sits on the council of the Dynastic orders of knighthood for the Royal House of Savoy.
The orders,decorations,and medals of the Holy See include titles,chivalric orders,distinctions and medals honoured by the Holy See,with the Pope as the fount of honour,for deeds and merits of their recipients to the benefit of the Holy See,the Catholic Church,or their respective communities,societies,nations and the world at large.
The article offers an index of the Grand Magisterium including Grand Masters and the Lieutenancies of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre.
Giuseppe De Andrea was an Italian-born prelate of the Catholic Church who spent twenty years as a pastor in the United States and then twenty-five years in the diplomatic service of the Holy See.
Adam John Parker is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He has been an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Baltimore in Maryland since 2016. Parker has also served as vicar general and moderator of the curia.
Pierbattista Pizzaballa is an Italian Catholic prelate who has served as Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem since 6 November 2020. A Franciscan friar,he served as Custos of the Holy Land from 2004 to 2016 and as Apostolic Administrator of the Latin Patriarchate from 2016 to 2020. He was made a cardinal by Pope Francis in 2023.
Agostino Borromeo was an Italian historian and academic who was Lieutenant General of Honor of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre.
Alfredo Bastianelli is an Italian diplomat,Chancellor of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre,and Papal Gentleman. He is married and has three children.
Wilhelm Imkamp is a German Catholic priest,theologian,and church historian. A former member of the Papal household,he was appointed as a Prelate of Honour of His Holiness in 2006 and an Apostolic Protonotar in 2012 by Pope Benedict XVI. Imkamp serves as a consultant for the Congregation for the Causes of Saints and the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments and is a member of the Pontifical Academy of Theology,The German Association of the Holy Land,and the European Academy of Sciences and Arts. He is a knight of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre,the Sovereign Military Order of Malta,and the Order of Parfaite Amitié.
Mitja Leskovar is a Slovenian priest of the Catholic Church who works in the diplomatic service of the Holy See.
