FIRENZE-NUOVA ROMA 07 Jan 2022 (NRom)
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| Rutherford I signing the Concordat |
Recently His Holiness Papa Rutherford I, Prince of Rome signed a concordat between the Apostolic See and the Royal Merovingian Dynasty and issued an Apostolic Constitution formally reestablishing the Lower Gallican Rite of the Catholic Church. The re-established rite is under the spiritual protection of the Anglican Patriarchate of Rome and the temporal leadership of His Christian Majesty Don Esteve IV Rubén Alberto, head of the ancient Merovingian Dynasty.
His Excellency Alejandro Paulo Rodrigues, Capitular Bishop of Saint Stephen in the pontifical court, was named by the Archfather as Primate of the Lower Gallican Rite, with the associated title of Archbishop of Lyon, the most the most ancient See in France.
The Gallican Rite is not a single rite of the Church, but instead is an ancient collection that came into use at least before the 5th century and is associated primarily with Roman Gaul and Western Francia (modern-day France). The neighbouring Iberian Rite was similarly used from the 5th century in Roman Hispania (modern-day Spain). The Iberian Rite was so linked with the Gallican Rite that they are often referred to jointly as Hispano-Gallican. In fact, the territories of the Merovingian Dynasty are widely associated with Spain as well. The house of Gévaudan itself, for example, became linked to the thrones of Barcelona, Aragón, and Castile y León. The Italo-Burgundian House of Ivrea, to which the Anglican Patriarchate of Rome is heir in Imperial Italy, shared a similar history, holding those same thrones.
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| Don Esteve IV Rubén Alberto (left) and Monsignor Alejandro Rodrigues, Archbishop of Lyons (right) |
Also used to describe the Rite is the term Gallo-Roman. The Gallican Rite is also associated with Italy, particularly the areas of Piemonte and Lombardia in the north, as well as Tuscany and Sicily/Naples -- all areas that were historically associated with France.
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| Coat of arms of Monsignor Rodrigues as Primate of the Lower Gallican Rite |
The Merovingian Dynasty today represents the most noble of all houses in Christendom and arguably the most ancient. The dynastic house of David-Toulouse-Gévaudan also descends from King David. The dynasty today is highly active in charitable service and service to the church around the world, following in the footsteps of its ancestors. The Lower Gallican Rite not only perpetuates an intangible religious and cultural heritage of the Merovingian Dynasty, but also furthers the goal of service to others.
