Not quite Basque Berets, but still… The Equestrian
Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem is a Roman Catholic order of knighthood under
the protection of the pope. It traces its roots to Duke Godfrey of Bouillon,
principal leader of the First Crusade.
H E Anthony J Capritto III
In 1496, Pope
Alexander VI created the office of Grand Master of the Order, and the office
was vested in the papacy where it remained until 1949 and since then a cardinal
has been grand master.
The Pope is sovereign of the Order, and it enjoys the
protection of the Holy See and has its legal seat at Vatican City.
The Order is now primarily honorific. Its principal mission
is to reinforce the practice of Christian life by its members in absolute
fidelity to the Popes; to sustain and assist the religious, spiritual,
charitable and social works of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land; and to
conserve and propagate the faith in the Holy Land and the rights of the
Catholic Church there. As it is a papal honor aspirant members must be
practicing Catholics of "good character", recommended by their local bishop with
the support of several members of the Order, and are required to make a
generous donation as "passage money" (echoing the ancient practice of
crusaders paying their passage to the Holy Land) as well as an annual financial
offering for works undertaken in the Holy Land.
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