International Organisation

THE ORDER INTERNATIONALLY

Since 12 September 2004, the Temporal Protection of the Order has been assumed by the Count of Paris, Duke of France, Head of the Royal House of France. By offering his Temporal Protection as Head of the Royal House of France, the Count of Paris, Duke of France restored the Order to the status it had lost in 1830. Confirmation of the Temporal Protection was given in the Cathedral of Orléans, during the Investiture of his nephew, Prince Charles-Philippe d’Orléans, Duc d’Anjou, as Grand Master of the Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem. This confirmation was witnessed by official representatives of the Catholic, Greek Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, Anglican and Reformed Churches. Also present were members of the diplomatic corps, dignitaries of the French Republic and the City of Orléans and Military Officers of France, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and Ireland.  


The 50th Grand Master
HE Jan Count Dobrzenský z Dobrzenicz
The Chapter General assembled on 20 November 2010 in Orléans, France, with one principal goal: to elect the 50th Grand Master of the Order. Correspondingly to article 20, paragraph 20.1 and to article 24, paragraph 24.6 of the Constitutional Charter, the members of the Order having the right of vote (from rank of Knight, Dame or Senior Chaplain), present at the Chapter General or having voted by correspondence, elected by 91% of votes His Excellence Jan Count Dobrzenský z Dobrzenicz, 50th Grand Master of the Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem, here and overseas, Commander of Boigny. Since 1976 he has been a member of the Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem. In recent years he has held the office of Grand Prior of Bohemia and President of the Order´s Governing Council. In his inaugural address to the members of the Order the Grand Master reaffirmed that: 

"Our fundamental raison d’être is to help the poor, the sick, the needy and all those who are unable to help themselves. This will be our priority and everything will be done to refocus the entire Order for this objective."



OOn September the 17th 2012 in succession to His Eminence László Cardinal Paskai, His Eminence Dominik Cardinal Duka, Archbishop of Prague, became the highest moral and spiritual authority of the Order of St Lazarus of Jerusalem accepting the position of Chaplain General. While retaining its characteristic of ecumenism, the Order reasserted with pride and honour its ties with the Catholic Church and rediscovered its historic spiritual protection. 

Cardinal Duka is the guarantor of the spiritual legitimacy of the Order and its relationship with the Catholic Church in an ecumenical spirit. He ensures the strict monitoring of the ecumenical character of the Order.