Dearest Dames and Knights,

The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross is particularly dear to us. The sign of the Cross belongs, in fact, to the history, spirituality and very identity of our Order. We bear it on our insignia and on our mantles; above all, however, we are called to bear it in our lives and through the way we live.
Saint Paul writes to the Christians of Corinth that Christ sent him to proclaim the Gospel so that the Cross of Christ might not be emptied of its power (1 Cor 1:17). This is the expression on which I would like to reflect this year: not to make the Cross of Christ meaningless.

The Cross may remain outwardly visible and, at the same time, be emptied of its meaning. It may become an ornament, a historical reminder, a sign of belonging, without being recognised for what it truly is: the place where God, in Jesus Christ, revealed the full extent of His love for humanity

Just one year ago, on 14 September 2025, at the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, Pope Leo XIV recalled that the Cross is the “hope of Christians” and the “glory of martyrs”. These are words that we can feel addressed particularly to us as well, and which help us understand what it means to defend the Cross today.

Certainly, this means not being ashamed of the Christian sign and safeguarding a heritage of faith that has endured through the centuries. Yet it would be far too little if everything stopped there. The Cross is truly defended when we live according to the Cross. First and foremost, it reminds us that we cannot save ourselves. In an age when people so readily place their trust in their own abilities and resources, the Crucified Christ reminds us that salvation is a gift to be received.

The Cross also teaches us a different measure of greatness. In the eyes of the world, greatness means success, visibility and power. Christ, however, reveals to us a kingship manifested through self-giving.

Moreover, we live in a time when the Cross continues to be borne in a very real way by many Christians persecuted for their faith, by the victims of war, and by those who suffer from poverty, illness and loneliness. We cannot venerate the Cross of Christ and pass by the crosses of humanity with indifference.

Here we rediscover one of the most authentic duties arising from our membership in the Order. The glorification of the Cross, one of its fundamental purposes, does not consist merely in honouring it publicly. It requires that the meaning of the Cross become recognisable in our choices and in the way we live.

The Constantinian tradition entrusts the Cross to us as a sign of victory. For us, this victory can never be understood in terms of strength or domination. Christ triumphs precisely when, in the eyes of the world, He appears defeated. He triumphs because He loves to the very end.

Perhaps the best defence of the Cross today consists precisely in restoring this meaning to it, without allowing it to be reduced to a merely cultural or identity symbol. The Cross certainly belongs to our history and our civilisation, but before all else it belongs to the Gospel. And the Gospel asks us not simply to display it, but to allow ourselves to be transformed by it.

Dearest Dames and Knights, as we prepare to celebrate this feast, I would therefore like to invite you to pause before the Crucifix and ask ourselves: is the Cross we bear also recognisable in the way we live?

May it be so in our fidelity to the Church and to the Successor of Peter, in our concern for those in need, in the responsible fulfilment of the duties entrusted to us, in our ability to serve without seeking recognition, and in the serene witness of our faith.

Then the motto “In hoc signo vinces” will no longer remain merely the memory of an ancient history, but will become a Christian programme for the present: to overcome evil with good, indifference with closeness to others, and selfishness with self-giving.

Let us ask the Lord that the Cross, which the Constantinian Order has the privilege and responsibility of bearing in its name and insignia, may first and foremost remain imprinted upon the heart of each one of us.

With this hope, as I extend a special thought to the Grand Master, the Royal Family and the entire Constantinian family, I invoke upon each of you and your families the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint George the Martyr, and wholeheartedly impart my blessing to you all.

Marcello Cardinal Semeraro
Grand Prior of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George