Alliance of Catholic Knights calls for religious freedom, tolerance

Alliance of Catholic Knights (IACK), an international Catholic Association of Knighthood Orders, has pledged its support for religious freedom and tolerance in the world.
“We also pledge to defend those who are denied or persecuted for their faith,” it said.

This was contained in a communiqué issued yesterday at the end of a biennial conference of IACK held in Washington, DC, USA.

IACK is made up of 14 kindred Orders across the globe and includes the Knights of Marshall.

The Knights of Marshall delegation to the conference was led by the Supreme Knight, Sir Kt Bro Ambrose Yennah, and included the Past Supreme Knight, Sir Kt Bro Eddie Prah, and W/Bro Daniel Kwabo, the Liberia State Grand Knight.

Evangelisation

It called for a more effective use of technology, including social media, as a medium of communicating the Catholic Faith through evangelisation.

“We pledge to assist the development and formation of young people journeying through life to be Christ-like in service to others in need,” it said.

It said members affirmed the intrinsic value of human life and the dignity of every human person at every stage from conception to natural death by working to eradicate injustices such as racism, sexism and human trafficking.

It also reiterated its commitment to advocating the protection of the environment in the context of the Holy Father’s encyclical, Laudato Si, which is a call for mankind to look at the environment as a common home.

New leaders

The communiqué indicated that at the close of the meeting, the Past Supreme Knight of the Knights of the Southern Cross, Australia, Sir Kt Bro Colin Walsh, was installed as President of the Alliance for the biennium 2017-2019 with Sir Kt Bro Charlie McCluskey, the Supreme Knight of the Knights of St Columba, Great Britain, as Deputy President.

It said the Most Rev. Leslie Tomlinson, the Bishop of Sandhurst, Australia, was nominated as International Chaplain for the period concomitant with that of the president and approved by the Diacastery for Laity, Family and Life.

The Past International President of the Alliance and Past Supreme Knight of the Knights of Saint Columbanus, Ireland, Sir Kt Bro Niall Kennedy, it added was re-elected unanimously as Secretary General of the Alliance until the next meeting of the International Council to be held in Great Britain in 2019.