On Friday, April 1, 2022, His Majesty King Felipe VI of Spain met with Cardinal Fernando Filoni, Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem, at the Palacio de La Zarzuela in Madrid.

During today’s meeting, Cardinal Filoni presented His Majesty with the Grand Collar of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher.

According to the Spanish royal court, the Order is an:

“…association of Christian faith that is under the protection of the Holy See. Its purpose is to strengthen the practice of Christian life in its members, support and help the works and institutions of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land, particularly those of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, including Cyprus and Jordan, also help the presence Christian in biblical territories.

Currently, the Order has some 30,000 members spread over more than 60 Lieutenancies and Magistral Delegations, in almost 40 countries. The economic aid to which the members of the Order commit themselves represents one of the main sources of income for the Patriarchate, used for charitable social purposes.”