Ecclesiastical decoration

An ecclesiastical decoration is an order or a decoration conferred by a head of a church.

Catholic ecclesiastical decorations

• Patriarchal Order of the Holy Cross of Jerusalem founded in 1979 by the Melkite Greek Catholic Church
• Order of Saint Ignatius of Antioch founded in 1985 the Syriac Catholic Church

Both are recognised as legitimate ecclesiastical decorations by the International Commission on Orders of Chivalry (2006):[1]

[T]he Commission accepts that these Ecclesiastical Decorations possess full validity as awards of merit or honours within the respective Churches which have instituted them.

— International Commission on Orders of Chivalry (2006)

Local ecclesiastical distinctions

• Jerusalem Pilgrim's Cross, established in 1901, conferred in the name of the Sovereign Pontiff at the office of the Custody of the Holy Land of the Order of Friars Minor in Jerusalem, Israel
• Cross of Honour of the Abbot of Lilienfeld, founded in 1980, of the Abbot of Lilienfeld, Austria[2]
• Order of Saint Nicholas, a regional lay order founded in 1991 by Bishop Ignatius Ghattas of the Melkite Greek Catholic Eparchy of Newton[3]
• Medal,[4] Great Cross,[5] and Golden Order of the Maronite General Council of the Maronite Church[6]
• Cross of São Tomé of the Roman Catholic Diocese of São Tomé and Príncipe in São Tomé and Príncipe

Other

The Order of Saint Michael (Bavaria) (active 1693-1918), could also be said to initially have had shared traits of an ecclesiastical decoration, as awarded by the Archbishop-Elector of Cologne.

Expanding Reason of the Joseph Ratzinger Foundation, established in 2017. [7]

Eastern Orthodox ecclesiastical decorations

Several autocephalous churches of the Eastern Orthodox communion award ecclesiastical decorations, including:

• The Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, honours awarded to laity by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. The archons are organized in two orders:
  • The "Order of Saint Andrew" (est. 1966) for Archons subject to the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
  • The "Brotherhood of the Most Holy Lady Pammakaristos" (est. 1991) for the rest of the world
• The Byzantine Order of the Holy Sepulchre, awarded by the Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem.
• The Order of Holy Prince Daniel of Moscow (est. 1978), awarded by the Russian Orthodox Church.
• The Order of Saint Righteous Grand Duke Dmitry Donskoy (est. 2004), awarded by the Russian Orthodox Church for spiritual merits on the military service.
• The Order of St. Sava, awarded by the Serbian Orthodox Church since 1985. This decoration revives an order of merits awarded from 1883 to 1945 by the Kingdom of Serbia, the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes and the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.
  • The Order of Kantakuzina Katarina Branković (est. 2007), honor given by the Metropolitanate of Zagreb and Ljubljana, a jurisdiction of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Croatia, Slovenia and Italy.
• The Order of the Holy Lamb (est. 1935), awarded by the Finnish Orthodox Church.
• The Order of Bishop Platon (est. 1922), awarded by the Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church.

Protestantism

Anglican Communion

Main article: Lambeth Awards

In addition to the Lambeth degree, the Archbishop of Canterbury awards the following to recognise outstanding service in various fields.[8]

• Archbishop of Canterbury's Award for Outstanding Service to the Anglican Communion
• Cross of St Augustine for Services to the Anglican Communion
• Lambeth Cross for Ecumenism
• Canterbury Cross for Services to the Church of England
• Archbishop's Awards for ministry priority areas (six awards named after former Archbishops of Canterbury)
  • Dunstan Award for Prayer and the Religious Life
  • Hubert Walter Award for Reconciliation and Interfaith Cooperation
  • Alphege Award for Evangelism and Witness
  • Lanfranc Award for Education and Scholarship
  • Langton Award for Community Service
  • Cranmer Award for Worship

Methodism

• Honourable Order of Jerusalem, the highest distinction presented by the World Methodist Council [9][10]

See also

• Ecclesiastical award
• List of ecclesiastical decorations

References

1. "Ecclesiastical Decoration". Iicoregister.org. Retrieved 2016-7-8
2. "Ehrenkreuzes des Abtes von Lilienfeld". www.ordenskreuz.com. Retrieved 2016-07-08. (German)
3. "» The Order of St. Nicholas". Melkite.org. Retrieved 2016-07-08.
4. "The Maronite Central Council Medal, About Us - Central Council of the Maronite Societies". Conseilmaronite.org. Archived from the original on 2016-04-03. Retrieved 2016-07-08.
5. "Great Cross of the Maronite Central Council, About Us - Central Council of the Maronite Societies". Conseilmaronite.org. Archived from the original on 2016-04-03. Retrieved 2016-07-08.
6. "The King of Morocco Mohamad VI Awards Prince Alwaleed His 60th Honorary Medal | Kingdom Holding Company". Kingdom.com.sa. 2011-12-18. Archived from the original on 2016-05-31. Retrieved 2016-07-08.
7. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/ratzinger-foundation-unveils-new-prize-announces-american-winners-92028
8. "Archbishop of Canterbury announces new set of awards".
9. "Living Together...In Unity...Amid Diversity...For Ministry" (PDF). The Advance Journal. 2. 2016. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
10. Hodges, Sam (6 September 2016). "World Methodist Conference concludes in Houston". United Methodist News Service. Retrieved 7 January 2020.