Dresden Declaration

In its glorious history, Dresden is hardly second to any German city.
The destruction of precious cultural assets and the annihilation of thousands of human lives as the consequence of a senseless war, and, on the other hand, the determination to rebuild a cityscape that was believed lost, render Dresden unique.
Therefore, the Dames and Knights of the Order have chosen Dresden as the venue of their annual General Convention to express their bond with the citizens of Dresden who stand up for peacefully living together with everybody under democratic rules.
The preservation of all material but also ideal values is the objective of our international, humanitarian knighthood.
We do not only cultivate chivalrous traditions, but our value system, based on the Christian faith for a peaceful living together of all human beings irrespective of  their origin, religion, gender, education or possessions, expressively forms the focus of our activities.
Living together in our worldwide community, we make friends and learn to better understand each other. Our value system moulded by the Christian faith helps us to accept and work together with others irrespective of our denominational background and personal spiritual practices.
We share the view that values such as honesty, solidarity and modesty are important for the future and survival of humankind and the preservation of the creation.
Through humanitarian actions we individually and as a group point the way to the future of living together in solidarity. Also in the future, Dames and Knights of the Order Cordon Bleu du Saint Esprit want to make their contribution to a peaceful world as well as the protection of our earth.

Done:
Karl-Heinz Kindervater
Grand Master

Translated from the German by York R. Buttler