RELIGION:TWO PRESIDENTS, Patrick Hillery and Eamon de Valera, shunned an international charitable organisation solely on the basis it had incurred Vatican disapproval, newly released documents at the National Archives reveal.
They show that the Vatican’s advice to have nothing to do with the charity or its spiritual patron, a leading Greek Catholic prelate, was uncritically accepted and acted upon.
The Military and Hospitaller Order of St Lazarus of Jerusalem, which has its roots in the Crusades, was originally devoted to assisting victims of leprosy but now engages in a wide range of charitable works, with European Union assistance, as well as promoting Christian ecumenism.
The order, also known as the Knights of Lazarus, has its headquarters in Malta and claims a membership of approximately 5,000 across five continents and in 25 countries.
Invitations to religious services held by the order in Dublin in the 1970s were declined by then president Hillery and, before him, president de Valera, on the advice of officials whose criterion was that the organisation had a poor relationship with Rome.
The order chose Dublin as the location for its biennial international reunion on September 7th-10th, 1972. Irish aristocrat Lord Dunsany (1906-99) attended in his capacity as great bailiff or head of the order in Ireland.
The spiritual protector of the order is the patriarch of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, which is in communion with Rome. Patriarch of the Melkites Maximos V Hakim (also Patriarch of Antioch) celebrated Mass in the Byzantine rite at Dublin’s Pro-Cathedral on Sunday, September 10th, 1972.
Catholic Archbishop of Dublin Dermot Ryan was away in Lourdes but was represented at the Mass by Bishop of Nara, Dr Dunne. There was also a pontifical Mass the day before at Dublin Castle as well as an ecumenical service at St Patrick’s Cathedral.
However, an invitation on behalf of Lord Dunsany to attend the Pro-Cathedral Mass was declined by Mr de Valera. An earlier invitation to the patriarch to visit Áras an Uachtaráin was withdrawn.
Prior to the Dublin reunion, the department of defence asked the department of the taoiseach if there was any objection to permitting the use of the Church of the Most Holy Trinity at Dublin Castle for the pontifical Mass.
The Department of Foreign Affairs in turn asked its Vatican representative, ambassador Thomas V. Commins, to report on “the authenticity and standing of the order with regard to the Holy See”.
In his report dated July 5th, 1972, Mr Commins wrote: “The people I spoke to were the Chief of Protocol of the Holy See (who is the authority on matters like this, and the Most Reverend Prefect of the Oriental Congregation (who does not wish his name to be specifically mentioned).
“Both told me, emphatically, that this Order is not recognised or regarded as valid by the Holy See and they expressed the view that our Government should have nothing to do with it in the sense suggested by your minute.”
As for Patriarch Maximos, the report states that although he is “a Catholic, in communion with Rome”, nevertheless the Holy See “looks with a somewhat questioning eye on his role as Spiritual Director of this Order”.
“In the circumstances,” the report continues, “the Holy See recommends, as do I, that we ignore the activities of the Order in Dublin and go as far as we can to avoid their being facilitated there by the Government or other authorities for the international reunion of the Order from the 7th to 10th of September, 1972.
“Furthermore, the Holy See would not at all wish that the Government or other responsible Irish Authorities should facilitate, assist at or in any other way participate in the Mass proposed to be celebrated in Dublin Castle in the presence of His Beatitude Maximos V. Hakim on the 8th September.
“Indeed, the Government is advised not to recognise in the slightest and to keep as far away as possible from this reunion, since, as I have said, the Holy See does not regard this Order as valid nor,therefore, authentic.”
The ambassador’s letter was forwarded in mid-July to the president and to the departments of the taoiseach, defence and health.
The department of health had inquired if foreign affairs headquarters at Iveagh House would be available for minister for health Erskine Childers to host a reception for the order.
In a letter to the order on July 21st, secretary to the president Máirtín Ó Flathartaigh rescinded an invitation to Patriarch Maximos to visit Áras an Uachtaráin.
“Further to my letter of 7 June,” the secretary writes, “I am to express regret that it is now found that it will not be possible to arrange a time for a visit by the Patriarch to the President as was hoped during the Patriarch’s stay in this country.”
In a letter dated August 29th, the order invited Mr de Valera to attend the Pro-Cathedral Mass but the president’s office replied that it would “not be possible for him to be present”.
In September 1978, when Dr Patrick Hillery was president, he received an invitation from Lord Dunsany on behalf of the order for himself and Mrs Hillery to attend an investiture and ecumenical service at Dublin Castle.
In a handwritten advisory note dated October 3rd, secretary to the president Micheál Ó hOdhráin wrote to Dr Hillery that the order “has had very much an up and down relationship with the Holy See over a long period. I strongly recommend non-acceptance of the invitation”.
The invitation was duly declined.
