Vatican Refuses Recognition of Additional Knightly Orders

The Holy See continues to recognize and protect only a specific group of orders. These include its own orders, which are the Order of Christ, the Order of the Golden Spur, the Order of Pius, the Order of Saint Gregory the Great, and the Order of Saint Sylvester. Additionally, the Holy See recognizes the Sovereign Military Order of Malta and the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.

The Secretariat of State stated there is no intention to change this policy. All other knightly orders, whether they are recent foundations or claim descent from medieval orders, are not recognized. The Holy See cannot guarantee their legal and historical legitimacy, their organizational structures, or their goals.

The Vatican explicitly distanced itself from the unauthorized use of holy sites and the unlawful issuance of certificates by alleged new or old knightly orders. To prevent abuses that harm well meaning individuals, the Holy See reaffirmed that it assigns no value to knightly decorations or insignia issued by unrecognized associations. Furthermore, the Vatican considers the use of chapels and churches for investiture ceremonies, where new members are officially admitted, to be inappropriate.

Historically, knightly orders were military and religious associations that served the church against the expansion of Islam in the Near East and against pagan Slavs in Eastern Europe. Some, such as the Teutonic Order, later became purely religious communities, while others, like the Order of Malta, now focus on charitable activities. Some orders were dissolved, including the Knights Templar, which was forcibly dissolved in the 14th century by Pope Clement V and has since been the subject of legally doubtful attempts at restoration.