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Personal Statement from British and Irish Delegate Anthony Bailey
Dear Knights, Dames, Medallists, supporters and friends, As some of you are aware I have been suffering with significant health concerns and the continued impact of five years of personal familial tragedies.Despite my very best efforts, these issues continue to have a cumulative affect on my physical and mental health. In turn these problems are consuming large amounts of my time which otherwise would be devoted to fulfilling the many roles I have been entrusted with across organisations and charitable bodies at home and abroad. As part of this process of reducing my commitments and conscious of having served over twenty years in high office within our sacred Order, I have decided to step down from my various roles within our Order effective of 1 January 2021. HRH The Grand Master and the Grand Magistry have graciously accepted my request and will now as the Statutes require, turn its attention to the appointment of my successor. Once this appointment has been made a new delegation Council will need to be appointed and it is only right that I should leave the future membership of this council to my successor. At the request of the Grand Magistry in Rome, I shall remain as Acting Delegate until my successor has been decreed. I would like to take this opportunity to thank each of you for your much valued friendship and personal support over so many years. It has been a pleasure to have prayed with you and partnered with you on our common goal of fulfilling the religious, charitable, hospitaller and inter-religious mission of our worldwide Orders. As I leave office, I wish to re-affirm my loyalty, deep respect and admiration for our Grand Master, HRH Prince Charles, Duke of Castro, HRH Princess Camilla, Duchess of Castro, the Grand Prior HE Cardinal Renato Raffaele Martino and the other principal officers and administration of the Grand Magistry. I wish to thank our delegation’s spiritual leaders and chaplains including our Prior HE Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the Sub-Prior Archbishop George Stack and especially our late prior HE Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor who together have championed our delegation in so many ways. May I also record my sincere thanks to the leaders of our wider Christian family and other faiths for their support and guidance including Rt Rev & Rt Hon Lord Carey of Clifton, HE Archbishop Angaelos, HE Archbishop Toma Dawood, Bishop Kenneth Nowakowski and Bishop Tom Burns. I wish too to thank all those that have served on my delegation councils or given advice to them during the past twenty years. I especially wish to record the support given by our delegates and vice delegates Lord Brennan of Bibury QC, the late Lord Behaven & Stenton, Rt Hon Lord Murphy of Torfaen, HE John Bruton, Rt Hon Sir Peter Caruana QC, Prof Richard Conroy, Dr Donal Lydon, Judge Patrick Clyne, Field Marshal Lord Guthrie of Craigiebank, Lord Alton of Liverpool, Dr Colin Smythe, Dr John Kennedy, Dr Peter Löw and Baron Cyril Woods of Slane. My final thanks go to those delegation members and chancery staff who have worked with me and gone that extra mile to ensure the success of our events schedule and membership management. They have been the true heroes of my time in office and I wish to especially mention Branimira Nacheva, Dr Xhoana Papakostandini, James Drabble and Elizabeth Thornborough. May I end by sending you and your families during these uncertain times my heartfelt good wishes and prayers for a very happy and holy Christmas. Let 2021 be a year of real hope and aspiration for each of us and our families and let us all use the New Year to renew and redouble our commitment to the sacred mission of our historic and internationally recognised orders and of our vibrant delegation across these islands and beyond.  |
