Roman-Ruthenian Pope appoints Grand Prince Davide of Epirus Royal Canon of the Patriarchal Basilica of Santa Maria Antiqua

H.R.H. Grand Prince Davide of Epirus

By A. DiNardo
ROME-RUTHENIA, 12 November 2026 (NRom)

Appointment honors decades of service to the Church, humanitarian and ecumenical engagement, and the preservation of Europe's Christian, historical, and dynastic heritage.

His Apostolic Highness the Most Holy Pope Radislav I of Rome-Ruthenia has appointed His Royal Highness Grand Prince Davide Pozzi-Sacchi di Santa Sofia, titular King of Epirus, as Royal Canon of the Most Holy Patriarchal Basilica of Santa Maria Antiqua in Rome. The appointment, announced by the United Roman-Ruthenian Church on 11 November 2026 as part of a series of appointments to the Pontifical Court of the United Roman-Ruthenian Church, recognizes the Prince's longstanding commitment to Christian service, historical scholarship, ecumenical relations, and the preservation of Europe's religious and cultural inheritance. The appointment associates the Prince with one of the most historically significant sacred sites of ancient Rome and with an ecclesiastical tradition in which royal dignity is joined to the responsibilities of faith, service, and stewardship.

A fresco in the Basilica

An ancient basilica at the heart of Christian Rome

Once the seat of the Bishops of Rome, whom the Roman-Ruthenian Pope succeeds as Latin Orthodox successor of St. Peter, the Most Holy Patriarchal Basilica of Santa Maria Antiqua, one of the Patriarchal Major Basilicas of the Church, occupies a distinctive place in the historical and spiritual identity of the United Roman-Ruthenian Church. Situated at the foot of the Palatine Hill within the Roman Forum, Santa Maria Antiqua dates to the early Christian centuries and preserves some of the most important surviving examples of Byzantine-influenced religious art in Rome.

The basilica is particularly celebrated for its remarkable collection of early medieval frescoes, including an exceptionally early Roman representation of the Blessed Virgin Mary as Queen of Heaven. Its artistic heritage bears witness to a period when the Christian traditions of Rome and Constantinople were closely intertwined. Although the ancient building no longer functions as an ordinary parish church, it holds the designation of principal titular church and patriarchal seat of the Roman-Ruthenian Pope within the ecclesiastical tradition of Rome-Ruthenia.

Its importance is therefore both historical and symbolic. Santa Maria Antiqua represents the meeting of the Latin and Byzantine Christian worlds, an inheritance central to the spiritual identity of the United Roman-Ruthenian Church, which maintains both Orthodox and Catholic traditions. The appointment of Grand Prince Davide to the basilica's royal canonry reinforces that connection between the ancient Christian patrimony of Rome and the traditions of the Christian royal houses of Europe.

Diploma conferring the dignity of
Royal Canon of the Basilica, with the
 bull seal of the Roman-Ruthenian Church. 

The historic dignity of a Royal Canon

The appointment continues a centuries-old European ecclesiastical custom through which reigning sovereigns and members of royal houses have been associated with distinguished churches, basilicas, and cathedral chapters.

Historically, a canon was a member of an ecclesiastical chapter entrusted with responsibilities connected to the religious life, worship, and administration of a cathedral or collegiate church. This tradition continues, with clergy being named to the Patriarchal Chapter and assigned as canons of major basilicas. However, alongside the ordinary clergy serving such institutions, special honorary dignities developed to recognize individuals whose position, patronage, or service warranted a particular association with a sacred foundation. Such an honor recognizes a distinguished relationship of ecclesiastical honor and service, expressed through fidelity to Christian tradition, support for the Church's mission, and the safeguarding of its religious and historical inheritance.

A lifetime devoted to history, faith, and cultural preservation

In the case of Grand Prince Davide, the appointment as a Royal Canon is especially appropriate to his longstanding interests in ecclesiastical history, Christian culture, and the institutions that have preserved European civilization across the centuries.

Prince Davide has devoted much of his professional and public life to historical research, education, ecclesiastical affairs, and the study and preservation of European traditions. The Grand Prince studied at the University of Pavia, and his scholarly interests have encompassed religious history, medieval institutions, classical civilization, heraldry, genealogy, and the historical relationships between Church and State.

Decades of Christian and humanitarian service

The Grand Prince's involvement in ecclesiastical and charitable institutions extends over several decades. In 2002, he received an ecumenical recognition from the Secular Franciscan Order in Bolzano for his efforts to promote peace and friendship among peoples through encounters involving different Christian communities.

His involvement with the Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem, including responsibilities in the Province of Pavia during the 1990s, further demonstrates his association with longstanding Christian traditions of charitable and hospitaller service.

In addition to his religious activities, he served as mayor of Badia Pavese from 1995 to 2000, bringing his commitment to public service into local civic administration. The Grand Prince has also maintained relationships with Christian institutions, religious orders, and historical associations across national and confessional boundaries. His activities illustrate a model of Christian service in which scholarly learning, cultural preservation, the promotion of peace, and practical service to society are understood as complementary responsibilities.

The Royal House of Epirus and its Christian heritage

Grand Prince Davide is the head of the contemporary Royal House of Epirus, whose dynastic tradition preserves the historical and cultural heritage of Epirus in the Balkans. He succeeded Prince Alexander of Epirus following an abdication in his favor on 25 March 2001. Among his duties is serving as the temporal head of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Epirus.

The Grand Prince belongs to the historic nobility primarily associated with northern Italy. The family is also associated with the Napoleonic Italian nobility. He also received the highest grade of the Pontifical Order of the Eagle and the rank of Grand Commander of the Order of Sts. George and Olga from the Roman-Ruthenian Church and State.

An appointment joining history and Christian service

Considering the Byzantine heritage of Epirus, the appointment of Grand Prince Davide as Royal Canon of Santa Maria Antiqua carries particular significance because of the basilica's place at the intersection of Roman and Byzantine Christianity. Its ancient frescoes, Marian devotion, and historic associations with the Christian East provide a fitting spiritual context for a royal dignity conferred upon a prince whose work has long concerned the preservation of religious and historical heritage.

The appointment is also an example of the United Roman-Ruthenian Church's continuing emphasis on the relationship between Christian faith, sacred tradition, cultural stewardship, and the responsibilities historically associated with ecclesiastical and royal service. This dignity offers a reminder that Christian heritage is sustained not only through buildings and monuments, but through scholarship, service, memory, and the living commitment of those entrusted with its care. Indeed, the appointment stands as a tribute to that enduring responsibility and to the Grand Prince's decades of service to the Christian and historical traditions of Europe.