by emad » Wed Jul 13, 2005 3:35 pm
There are TWO branches of this order. But JP2 only ever officially sanctioned the Italian one whose chief fundraiser is Anthony Bailey.<br><br>The Spanish one has "His Royal Highness the Infante of Spain Don Carlos of Bourbon-Two Sicilies & Bourbon-Parma, Duke of Calabria, Count of Caserta" as its Grand Master.<br>See:<!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://www.constantinianorder.org/english/grandmaster.html">www.constantinianorder.or...aster.html</a><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--><br><br>The Italian one has "HRH Prince Ferdinando of Bourbon Two Sicilies, Duke of Castro, (Head of the Royal House of Bourbon of the Two Sicilies) " as its Grand Master.<br>See:<!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://www.constantinian.org.uk/main.htm">www.constantinian.org.uk/main.htm</a><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--><br><br>The Italian one gave Thatcher a gong:<br>Dame Grand Cross<br>The Right Honourable Baroness Thatcher, LG, OM, GCFO, FRS, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom<br><br>Also a gong to Norman Lamont who lost the UK's Bank of England some $5billion as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the 'Black Monday' ERM disaster:<br>The Right Honourable Lord Lamont of Lerwick, KCFO, former Chancellor of the Exchequer<br><br>Another gong to former Saudi ambassador to US Prince Bandar:<br>His Highness Prince Bandar bin Saud bin Khalid Al-Saud, Secretary General of the King Faisal Foundation <br><br>OTHER notable gongs in the "ROYAL ORDER OF FRANCIS I " section are:<br><br>His Excellency Bashar al-Assad, GCFO, President of the Syrian Arab Republic<br><br>His Royal Highness Prince Khalid Al-Faisal bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud, Governor of Asir Province, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia<br><br>Mr Nadhmi Auchi, KSS, GCFO, President of the Anglo-Arab Organisation<br><br>AUCHI: currently being investigated for huge French oil co corruption scam re ELF. Also reported to be under the CIA spotlight for the Iraq Oil-for-Fraud scam implicating the Russian mafia and former KGB officers...<br><br>SEE:<br><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://www.constantinian.org.uk/main.htm">www.constantinian.org.uk/main.htm</a><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--><br><br>NOW the Vatican is reporting a balance sheet back in the black:<br><br>SNIP:<br>Vatican credits safe investments for surplus <br> The Associated Press/VATICAN CITY <br>By VICTOR L. SIMPSON<br>Associated Press Writer<br><br>JUL. 11 9:00 A.M. ET Vatican officials on Monday credited a policy of low-yield but safe investments and the stabilization of the dollar in helping it post its first surplus in four years.<br><br>Cardinal Sergio Sebastiani said "the good news for the current operating statements is that, after three years of negative results, the year 2004 closed in the black."<br><br>The Vatican said in a brief statement Saturday that it had netted euro3.08 million (US$3.67 million) in 2004 even though church collections and donations by individuals were down 7.4 percent. Sebastiani, who heads the Vatican's office for economic affairs, gave no reason for the decline at a news conference Monday and did not say in which countries contributions fell.<br><br>He did report a gain of euro17.7 million (US$21.07 million) in the Vatican's investment sector, noting that world markets had generally improved and that the Vatican had had reduced losses from exchange rate fluctuations of the dollar against the euro, which is the Vatican's official currency although many investments and contributions are in dollars.<br><br>MORE:<br><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D8B96QNG0....">www.businessweek.com/ap/f...96QNG0....</a><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--> <br>ENDSNIP<br><br>Those Saudi-bankrolled Enron/Worldcom portfolio losses of 2001 must seem like a distant memory.....<br><br><br><br><br><br> <p></p><i></i>