His Eminence Renato Raffaele Martino, the Cardinal Grand Prior of the Roman Catholic and charitable Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St. George, will lead a three-member delegation to Barbados from November 8 to 10.
The visit is the final leg of a wider regional tour, which included earlier stops in Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
The Cardinal Grand Prior will be accompanied by Secretary General of the Constantinian Order, Sir Anthony Bailey, and Chief of Staff to the Secretary General, Dr. Xhoana Papakostandini.
The Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St. George is an ancient and internationally-recognised Order of Knighthood. It is recognised by many governments across the world, and enjoys consultative status at the United Nations, through the Economic and Social Council, in acknowledgement of its many humanitarian and charitable works in favour of the less fortunate in society.
A vital part of the Order’s mandate is to promote the spiritual and physical welfare of the sick and disabled, the poor, the homeless and the illiterate; to aid and protect them and contribute to their material and moral support; to establish institutions of Christian charity to attend to their needs; and to cooperate with other agencies or institutions which engage in such work.
The current visit is part of the Order’s outreach to the Caribbean, with a view to creating a Caribbean Chapter, through which it can bring its good works to the region.??During the visit, the high level delegation will engage governmental and religious authorities to gain an understanding of the spiritual and developmental priorities of Barbados.
Members of the Order will also explore ways in which they can cooperate in future with recognised Barbadian institutions in support of worthy charitable projects in the areas of community welfare, national patrimony and education.
Meetings will be held with the Roman Catholic Bishop of the Dioceses of Bridgetown and Kingstown, the Most Reverend Jason Gordon; and the Archbishop of the West Indies and Anglican Bishop of Barbados, Dr. John Holder.
The delegation will also pay a courtesy call on the Governor General, Sir Elliott Belgrave, and will meet with Prime Minister Freundel Stuart; the Minister of Social Care, Ecclesiastical Affairs, Constituency Empowerment and Community Development, Steven Blackett; and the Leader of the Opposition, Mia Mottley. The group will also participate in the Remembrance Day Service as special guests of the Government of Barbados.
The Cardinal Grand Prior will celebrate Holy Mass at the St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Cathedral on Saturday, November 8, at 5:00 p.m. The delegation will also meet with the Chairman of the Barbados Christian Council and other faith leaders.