2. The "Poor of Christ"

A second new element of the Order of St. John is to call the Sick "Poor of Christ" or "holy Poor".
This designation had not been known in the occidental church before, but becomes afterwards part of its linguistic usage.

Thus different Popes used the term "Poor of Christ" in several bulls:

• Pope Anastasius IV. in 1153 and
• Pope Alexander III. in 1166 and 1168.

Secular rulers used this term too:

• Emperor Frederick Barbarossa in 1158 or
• King Baldwin III of Jerusalem in 1160.
• The sick are called "Holy poor" in deeds of gift of William Ferrariis and Raoul le Fun (AD 1165-1172).

This terms are closely and profoundly connected with the Spirituality of the Order of St. John, which admits - as already explained above - the sick as a full member into the "community of Saints" of the hospital.

This lead us to the third, the most characteristic new element in the spiritual heritage of the Order of St. John: The hospitality in its special nature and its special genuineness at the Order of St. John.

Patron Saints Index Pope Alexander III

This page is part of the publication: Blessed Gérard and his "everlasting brotherhood": The Order of St. John of Jerusalem

This page was last updated on Monday, 13 October 2014 14:40:10