Yesterday I nearly had a syncope when I saw a tweet that Leo XIV had given the “highest diplomatic honour” to the Ambassador to the Holy See from vicious IRGC in Iran to the Holy See. HERE
I noticed a while later that a former Ambassador to the Holy See from Hungary, Eduard Habsburg, had tweeted that Leo, in fact, “might have given the Ambassador the Ordine Piano, something ALL ambassadors get after a certain time”.
Now I see this. I’ve underlined and pointed to something… it’s small but important.
Can you read it? The Ambassador was given the “Ordine Piano”, the Order of Pius IX. The “pian” is used as an adjective for something from a Pope Pius, as when the Tridentine Rite is called the “Pian Rite” after Pius V and the Novus Ordo the “Pauline Rite” after Paul VI.
As for papal honors… they are in descending order… The Pius IX is not the highest.
Supreme Order of Christ (no members as of 31 July 1993)
Order of the Golden Spur (no members as of 23 April 2019)
Order of Pius IX
Order of Saint Gregory the Great
Order of Saint Sylvester
Moreover, the Pius IX, “Ordine Piano” is, in itself not the highest being given. The Order itself has levels. There is the rank of “Knight” or “Dame” for service. The “Grand Cross” is given to Ambassadors after 2 years and occasionally to other Catholics. Knights Grand Cross wear a sash and a star on the left side of the breast. There are also “Commander” and “Commander with Star”.
Leo gave Charles III the Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the Vatican Order of Pope Pius IX and to the wife the Dame Grand Cross (mutatis mutandis). This is what states do.
So, the “Ordine Piano” is itself a kind of diplomatic nothing burger… under ordinary circumstances.
However, this burger was given to the guy from the IRGC in Iran precisely during a time of armed conflict with its neighbors and with the US armed forces over the Straight of Hormuz and viable nuclear weapons. They have been the chief promoters of terror in the world through their proxies. And we all know about the recent verbal dust ups between the American Pontiff and the America POTUS.
I find it hard to stomach that this fellow should receive a papal honor that has upon it “VIRTUTI ET MERITO… for virtue and merit”. I suppose they must argue that, to not give it after two years would be a diplomatic faux pas. (I’d be okay with that.)
Moreover… I don’t think he can wear it. Can he even accept it?
This is not the first time a papal honour causes uproar. Some here may remember the papal honour bestowed on Dutch pro abortion politician Liliane Ploumen (I don’t hesitate to call her a lower case catholic). That was back in 2017.
I seem to remember something called the Order of the Golden Rose, too, but that in modern times it’s not given to individuals?
Those wheels just keep on turning. Where is the awareness?
Following up your Wikipedia link, it is curious – checking the linked versions of nine of the corresponding articles – what varied attention is given to recipients, from none (including the Italian article!) to fairly detailed and or extensive – but never thorough, with no links I noticed clearly indicating anywhere one could get a comprehensive list.
Nor could I quickly find satisfyingly detailed Wikipedia treatment of , e.g., German-Vatican diplomatic relations 1933-45, in searching for possibly interesting comparisons, and even the “List of ambassadors of Spain to the Holy See” left 1936-39 more tantalizing than elucidated: e.g., via the link Luis de Zulueta y Escolano’s article:
“The Spanish Second Republic was proclaimed in April 1931, and Zulueta was proposed as Ambassador to the Holy See by the Provisional Government. His nomination was endorsed by Francisco Vidal y Barraquer, Archbishop of Tarragona, and by Federico Tedeschini, the Apostolic Nuncio to Spain. But the Vatican rejected the Agrément because he was a disciple of Giner de los Ríos. […] When the left parties won the 1936 general election, he was again appointed Ambassador to the Holy See, and this time the Vatican accepted him. After the Spanish Civil War began in July 1936, Fascist Italy recognized the Nationalist rebels as the government of Spain, and they took control of the Palazzo di Spagna (the Spanish embassy building in Rome). Zulueta had resided there; he was expelled and went into exile in Paris.” The corresponding German article, however, (as Google Translated) has “At the beginning of the Spanish Civil War, General Franco’s supporters forced Zulueta out of the Palazzo di Espangna in Rome, the seat of the Spanish ambassador to the Holy See, and compelled him to resign from his ambassadorial post.” Nothing in either about what anyone in the Holy See said about the matter.