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To: SkyDancer

No, sort of the opposite of Freemasonry as they were and are basically a Roman Catholic order devoted to charity and being warriors.


11 posted on 07/08/2013 3:26:11 PM PDT by robowombat
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To: robowombat
they were and are basically a Roman Catholic order devoted to charity and being warriors.

It's a little more complicated than that. The original order, residing in Malta, was conquered and disbanded by Napoleon in 1798. Remaining members fled throughout Europe--some landing in Russia, others in Germany--and while remaining firmly Christian, neither group required loyalty to the Bishop of Rome. The English Hospitallers come through the German order. Only in 1834, was the Roman Catholic branch re-established...

Arguably, the ecumenical branch(es) of Hospitallers have a stronger, more-direct, unbroken provenance to the original order, than the Roman Catholic order of Hospitallers.

ALL though, follow the grand tradition of caring, charitable Christian warrior monks--who so valiantly fought for Christian freedom throughout the Middle Ages into the Renaissance.

12 posted on 07/08/2013 3:48:09 PM PDT by AnalogReigns (because the real world is not digital...)
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