(Rivista Internazionale - December 1997: Pontifical Audience and Feast of St. John - 1/1)

Spirituality

Pontifical Audience

As a further confirmation of the very cordial relations between the Sovereign Order and the Holy See, on 23rd June on the eve of the Feast of the Order's Patron, St. John the Baptist, the Supreme Pontiff H.H. John Paul II received in solemn audience H.M.E.H. the Prince and Grand Master, Fra' Andrew Bertie, the new Grand Chancellor, Ambassador Count Carlo Marullo di Condojanni, Prince of Casalnuovo, together with the Grand Commander, H.E. the Ven. Bailiff Fra' Ludwig Hoffmann von Rumerstein and the other members of the Sovereign Council, present the Order's Prelate, Msgr. Donato de Bonis. After the audience, the Holy Father had a private conversation with the Grand Master.

The Feast of St. John

The Feast of St. John the Baptist was celebrated with great solemnity the next day in the Magistral Villa on the Aventine hill. In the presence of the Prince and Grand Master, the Cardinalis Patronus of the Order, His Eminence Pio Laghi, celebrated a Pontifical Mass attended by the diplomatic representatives to the Order of 75 countries who then gave their traditional greetings to the Grand Master and Grand Chancellor in the courtyard of the Church of St. Mary on the Aventine.