The interconfessional nature of the Order of Saint Lazarus and its configuration as a lateral body of the international ecumenical Christian institutions

Abstract

The Order of Saint Lazarus saw its origins in the Holy Land after the First Crusade of 1099 with the primary aim of giving assistance to lepers within the Kingdom of Jerusalem in its leprosarium just outside the walls of Jerusalem. It initially fell under the direct control of the Latin Patriarch in Jerusalem adopting the Rule of Saint Augustine through the Bull promulgated by Pope Alexander IV in 1255. After the expulsion of the Christians from the Holy Land in 1291, the Order of Saint Lazarus stationed its headquarters at Boigny near Orléans in France. The other houses in other European lands remained subservient to the mother house in France. The loss of influence of the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem led to attempts at incursions into the privileges enjoyed by the Order in France and elsewhere. In 1318, Pope John XXII promulgated a pontifical decree granting the Order exemption from local ecclesiastical authority and making the Order dependent only to the Holy See. [excerpt]