The Philippines Star news website published yesterday a headline about “the alleged bishop Richard Alcantara” arrested on drug addiction charges in that country. The website refers to the arrested person as “a bishop of the Sacred Order of Saint Michael Archangel”.

First and foremost, we have to clarify that there’s absolutely no connection with our Order and this person. None of our officers ever heard about this person’s existence until the publication of the aforementioned article.

Second, our order is a Chivalric, meritorious and charitable order under the Royal house of Ghassan and not a religious order as, for example, the Franciscans, Jesuits or Benedictines, etc. to have religious clerics as belonging to our order in the mentioned sense. We have religious serving as chaplains, however the order has no representation whatsoever in the republic of the Philippines,

Third, the website made a mistake. The order that the alleged bishop is part is an homonymous organization but with absolutely no connection neither with our order nor with the Royal House. They call themselves an “exorcist catholic order not affiliated with the Vatican“. Here’s their website with citations and photos of the alleged bishop http://orderofexorcists.com/team-of-exorcists/

We also would like to reiterate that our order does not acknowledge nor recognize the aforementioned “exorcist order” nor their members.

We appeal to the Philippino newspaper to immediately clarify this unfortunate misunderstanding.

Sincerely,

HRH Prince Gharios El Chemor of Ghassan Al-Numan VIII

Grand Master of the Order of Saint Michael Archangel – Royal House of Ghassan