NAPLES – A mass in recollection of Francis II of Bourbon on the anniversary of his death was held in the church of Santa Maria della Vittoria by the Neo-Bourbon Movement on Monday, Il Mattino said.

 The ceremony, dedicated to the last ruler of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, is now a tradition that has been going on for several years and it is attended by an increasing number of Neapolitans and people from other southern provinces, nostalgic for the era.

 The Duke of Castro Carlo di Borbone, current Head of the Royal House of Bourbon of the Two Sicilies, commented that the growing number of attendees is "a sign of the affection still alive towards the sovereign. He loved his land and his subjects, sacrificed himself and left a legacy of memories still alive in his people.”

 “Today more than ever," added the Duke, "with a global pandemic affecting our lives, may the figure of this great sovereign accompany us and protect us.”

 In December, 2020, Cardinal Sepe of Naples announced the opening of the process of beatification and canonization of Francis II. As such, he can now be recognized with the title, ‘Servant of God.’

 The President of the Neo-Bourbon Movement Gennaro de Crescenzo said, “this is an important gratification for all of us and recognizes a historical truth that we have been fighting for years.”

 “The few days of his reign,” continued de Crescenzo, “were characterised by numerous measures that favoured trade and production. The state of finances was excellent, the public deficit had been reabsorbed, taxes and fees were not high, public spending was prudent and productive.”

 Recently, the southern region of Campania was revealed as having the highest rate of depopulation in Italy. According to the latest Svimez report, about one million citizens have left their homeland since 2002 to ‘seek their fortune’ in the north of the country.

 Francis II, one of the first southern emigrants, could soon become a symbol for the generation that went to enrich the already wealthy cities of Lombardy, Piedmont, Veneto and Liguria.

 De Crescenzo would like to make Francis II a “symbol or protector of all the southern emigrants of yesterday and today.”

 When Francis II died on Dec. 27 1894 in exile in Arco di Trento, he was known by all simply as ‘Signor Fabiani.’ Inhabitants of the small village perched on the Trentino mountains knew him as a man with a strange accent who almost always walked alone. He owned the most beautiful kingdom in the world, yet spoke to everyone equallt, attended the daily mass and would patiently wait his turn for the Eucharist.

 The news of his death at the age of 58 - and after 34 years of exile - soon travelled around Europe. In his former capital, the last King of the Two Sicilies was remembered with an article by Matilde Serao which appeared on the first page of Il Mattino.

 “Dethroned, impoverished, left without a homeland, he bowed his head under the storm and his resignation took on a character of silent heroism,” wrote Serao. “Gentleman as a man and a gentleman as a prince, here is the portrait of Don Francesco di Borbone.”

 During Monday's Tridentine Mass, there were moments of real emotion among the many present. During the homily officiated in Latin, Don Antonio Luiso read some passages from the "'o Surdato' e Gaeta", a 1919 masterpiece by Ferdinando Russo featuring a former Neapolitan soldier engaged in the siege of Gaeta in 1860.

 The commemoration ceremony, officiated by parish priest Don Antonio Luiso, was organised by the Neo-Bourbon Movement and the Il Giglio Foundation, with the patronage of the Constantinian Order of San Giorgio.

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