PRESIDENT GIVEN SPLINTER OF WOOD FROM THE 'TRUE CROSS'
Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) On December 27, 1922, President Warren G. Harding was gifted a tiny splinter of wood "said to be a part of the cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified." The gift was presented by Archbishop Panteleimon* of the Orthodox Greek Church in Palestine.
The President was also "made a knight of the order of the Holy Sepulchre**" by the Archbishop. According to the Evening Star, the splinter was "embedded in soft wax and inclosed*** in a gold box set with diamonds."
JFK+50 NOTE
According to Matt Riggsby of Boston University, there is "no way of knowing" if the splinter-sized relics purported to be from the True Cross are authentic.
*Archbishop Panteleimon remained in the United States until January 1931 when he was recalled to Jerusalem.
**Order of the Holy Sepulchre is a Catholic order of knighthood under protection of the Holy See. The main purpose is to support Christian presence in the Holy Land.
***In the 1920s, it was apparently accepted that "inclosed" could be used as a variant to "enclosed." Today, it is not so accepted.
SOURCES
"Is there still a piece of the cross...that survived," Quora, www.quora.com/
"Tiny Splinter From True Cross Given To President Harding," The Evening Star, Washington, D.C., December 27, 1922, Chronicling America, Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/
