Following the Pontifical Oriental Institute’s annual Donohue Chair Lecture, Fr. David Nazar, SJ, Rector of Pontifical Oriental Institute, took the stage to recognize a special guest in the audience by the name of Mohammed Chalabi.
A Grandson in Search of His Grandfather’s Papal Knighthood
Fr. Nazar recounts receiving an unexpected email last year from Mohammed Chalabi, who had been trying to track down a papal knighthood his grandfather, Agha Mohammad Giaafar, had been awarded by Pope Pius XI in 1927.
However, Mohammed Chalabi was having trouble getting in touch with the Vatican Archives about his grandfather’s investiture in the Pian Order.
So, he reached out to Fr. Nazar because, being of Iraqi descent, Mohammed Chalabi figured that maybe an institute called the Orientale would help.
On behalf of the Orientale, Fr. Ruyssen invited Mohammed Chalabi to this year’s Donohue Lecture to present him with the bronze honorary metal coin of the centenary of the foundation of the Pontifical Oriental Institute.
Fr. Nazar enlisted the help of his colleague, Fr. Georges H. Ruyssen, SJ, to check the Vatican Archives for anything pertaining to Agha Mohammad Giaafar’s knighthood. Fr. Ruyssen, the Dean of the Faculty of Canon Law at the Orientale and frequent visitor to the Vatican Archives for his own research on the Armenian genocide, was happy to help with this special search.
On his next trip to the Archives, Fr. Ruyssen found a copy of the original parchment declaring Agha Mohammad Giaafar’s papal knighthood, as well as a number of letters relating to his investiture.
On behalf of the Orientale, Fr. Ruyssen invited Mohammed Chalabi to this year’s Donohue Lecture to present him with the bronze honorary metal coin of the centenary of the foundation of the Pontifical Oriental Institute, making him an honorary member of the Institute.
Mohammed Chalabi was then presented with copies of the charter for his grandfather’s knighthood and the letters found in the Vatican Archives.
About The Order of Pope Pius IX (Pian Order)
Agha Mohammad Giaafar was ordained to The Order of Pope Pius IX, also referred to as the Pian Order (Italian: Ordine Piano), in 1927 by Pope Pius XI.
The Pian Order is a papal order of knighthood that was originally founded by Pope Pius IV in 1560. After falling into disuse for almost three centuries, the Pian Order was re-instituted by Pope Pius IX in 1847.
Today, ordination to the Pian Order is the highest honor conferred by the Holy See though it was reformed by Pope Pius XII in 1939 to no longer bestow the privilege of nobility.
A subsequent decree Cum Hominum Mentes in 1849, confirmed the ancient privilege of personal nobility through membership in the Pian Order, making it the only ennobler of the Holy See.
Today, ordination to the Pian Order is the highest honor conferred by the Holy See though it was reformed by Pope Pius XII in 1939 to no longer bestow the privilege of nobility.
About Agha Mohammad Giaafar’s Papal Knighthood
He was honored by Pope Pius XI as a man of high moral character and generosity toward Christians, in particular Catholics living in Iraq.
Agha Mohammad Giaafar was awarded the rank of cavaliere in the Pian Order, a rank typically reserved for diplomats and other honorable persons of non-Christian religions. As such, Agha Mohammad Giaafar received the privilege of personal nobility.
He was honored by Pope Pius XI as a man of high moral character and generosity toward Christians, in particular Catholics living in Iraq.
Though he was a Muslim, all of his children attended Catholic schools in Iraq. He gave statues of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Blessed Virgin Mary to a local Catholic church, and he gave the Pope a tapestry of fine Persian silk that pictured the Blessed Virgin Mary with the infant Jesus.
How to Watch
You can watch a full recording of the Donohue Lecture on the Pontifical Oriental Institute’s YouTube channel: click here to watch. To watch Fr. Nazar’s and Fr. Ruyssen’s presentation of Agha Mohammad Giaafar’s papal knighthood to his grandson, begin watching at 1:33:05.