THE POPE AND THE QUEEN ON EQUAL FOOTING

by Joan M. Veon, Executive Director
The Women's International Media Group, Inc.
www.womensgroup.org

In a world of very powerful political and corporate leaders, two of the most unlikely people share equal footing- -the pope and the queen. While it seems unlikely that they would share monarchial lineage, status as a head of state, and head of a world religion--but they do. The question is, "Do they share the same goals?"

Monarchial Lineage

While most of us recognize and know of the royal lineage of the British royal family, most are not familiar with the fact that the Papacy is considered to be the oldest monarchy in the world by the world's oldest authority on royalty, The Almanach de Gotha. This makes the Pope a King and the Cardinals of the Church equal to the sons of Kings.

The Almanach de Gotha

In 1999, the Almanach de Gotha was published for the first time since World War II as a result of the reunification of Germany and the restoration of rights to the historic title. From 1763 to1944, The Gotha was the ultimate authority on the reigning and formerly reigning houses of Europe. It has been described as one of the most important books for recognizing and knowing those who are truly royal. If your name is not in this book, you aren't royal! The Almanach primarily focuses on families whose ancestry can be traced back to the Holy Roman Empire (936-1804 A.D.).

In Part One of The Almanach, it lists monarchial families by country. Besides Albania, Belgium, Great Britain, Greece, Monaco, and Norway, to name a few, the Holy See is listed among the "Reigning Sovereign Houses." Since when? What kind of light does this shed on the goals and objectives of the Vaticanare they political or spiritual?

The Almanach describes the monarchy and lineage of the Holy See as follows:

The Holy See--also called the Papal See or sometimes the Holy Apostolic Seeis the See of Saint Peter of Bethsaida in Galilee, Prince of the Apostles, personally established in Rome in the first century of Christianity having received from Jesus Christ the suprema potestas pontificia to be transmitted to his Successors. Besides its dignity of Patriarch of the West, the Universal Primacy of the Petrine See within the Church founded by Christ, as well as its sovereignty have been recognized from earliest times, also before the fall of the Roman Empire. The successors of Saint Peter form the uninterrupted line of Popes until today. The Incumbent of the Holy See is usually considered by Christian sovereign families as the "Father of the Family of Kings"; also since His Holiness represents the oldest Monarchy in Europe.

This information puts the Vatican in a whole new light, even though there is no direct blood line back to Peter since Pope's are elected. The Pope is considered equal with royalty and answers to no one on earth. Amazing! Does this mean each diocese is equal to the fiefdoms of temporal monarchies?

British Royalty - A Comparison

When we talk about someone who is "royal", we must ask ourselves what royalty is. Basically, royals are ranked by how long they have been "king of the hill" (my personal description for their power and position). For example, in Britain, those who are dukes and lords today basically did the king's business five to nine hundred years ago, and, in return, the king granted them titles, lands, and castles that have made them exceedingly rich and powerful. Without such support the kind would not have remained "king of the hill."

Royal Orders

Britain's queen gives gifts (knighthoods) to those whom she wishes to honor and also on the recommendation of the Prime Minister. The Order of the Garter is the most famous and most coveted Order of Knighthood. Others that rank next to it are the Order of the Thistle (the Scottish equivalent to the Order of the Garter) and the Order of Bath (Presidents Ronald Reagan and George Bush and Generals Dwight Eisenhower and George S. Patton have received this award).

Catholic Orders

Similarly, the Catholic Church bestows the same kind of gifts through Pontifical Orders of Knighthood and Orders of Merit, besides countless Cross and Medals. Pontifical Orders of Knighthood are in the personal gift of the Pope.

The Kennedy family received several such titles of recognition. "When Joseph P. Kennedy attended Pius XII's coronation in early 1939 he was created a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Pius IX, which still conferred hereditary nobility by male primogeniture on its grantee and his successors." That same Pope created his wife, Rose, "a papal countess." When John Kennedy Jr. died last year, the hereditary noble rank inherited from his grandfather in 1969.

Head of State

While we are told that the queen, who comes from the world's second oldest monarchy, is not a head of state, her titles suggest otherwise. The sovereign not only appoints the Prime Minister and dissolves Parliament but upon the death of her father George VI, Elizabeth II, became "Supreme Governor of the Church of England, Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, and Head of the Executive, the Legislature, and the Judiciary. All government is, carried out in her name: its ministers are her ministers".

The Vatican is a recognized country and has observer status at the United Nations, making the pope a head of state. As such, the Vatican sends its Ambassador to the United Nations and has actively participated in all of the deliberations and mega-conferences. Other than dissenting on pro-life issues, the Vatican is in full agreement with the goals and objectives of the United Nations which call for the transfer of national sovereignty to the international level, thus confirming speculation that its structure is configured to hold and host a world governmental system.

At a 1999 World Federalist Association conference, its senior vice-president, Dr. John Logue, a practicing Catholic stated, "We must work as hard as we can to build a world commonwealth, a United Nations world commonwealth, which has the power to enact, interpret, and enforce world lawlimited world law on individualson you and on me." He also explained "that Pope Pious XII and John XXIII agree" with the doctrines of the World Federalists for world government.

Leader of a world religion

As part of the titles which are bestowed on the king or queen of England, "Defender of Faith" is one of them as a result of the break by King Henry VIII with the Roman Catholic Church. For years, Prince Charles has made it clear that he wants to be the "Defender of Faiths". Most recently The London Daily Mail confirmed his wishes to have every religion participate in his Coronation. Charles who is a New Ager and pro-Muslim appears to be uniting the eastern religions.

In 1995 the Pope issue an encyclical, "'That They All May Be One' which is dedicated to the search for unity among Christian churches." In commenting on it, Cardinal Edward Cassidy said: "The pope sees the Catholic position on primacy as an essential point of faith...[he] made it clear he would not accept a symbolic papacy without teeth and that Rome would have to hold the primary place among Christians."

Common Goals

In Prince Charles the Sustainable Prince I show and document how the British royal family is the major power behind the United Nations which is as a result of the dream and legacy of Cecil Rhodes. Rhodes not only created the Rhodes Scholarship program (Bill Clinton is our first Rhodes Scholar president) but wanted to find a way to bring America back under British rule through the League of Nations, now the United Nations. This concept, coupled with the understanding that the Holy See considers itself the oldest monarchy in the world, reveals another aspect of the race for who will be supreme "King of the Hill (world)." The British royal family is the hidden power behind the United Nations, while the Holy See wants to unite the world spiritually to support its own political power. Time will tell who gets there first!