VATICAN CORNER
continued…
Today the Order of the Knights of Malta have only “obedience” as a vow. As of the 1990s officers are no longer drawn solely from Europe’s nobility. Their motto has always been “Defense of the (Catholic) faith and assistance to the poor.” Bishops and priests are generally honorary members. The Order also include three surviving enclosed monasteries of nuns, two in Spain and one in Malta. The Order’s military corps has three brigades stationed throughout Italy which can link up with the Italian Armed Forces. The Order assists children, homeless, handicapped, refuges, elderly, terminally ill, and lepers around the world without distinction of ethnicity or religion. Through its worldwide relief corps, the Order aids victims of natural disasters, epidemics and war. In several countries, including France, Germany and Ireland, local associations of the Order are important providers of emergency medical services and training. There exist a number of organizations with similar-sounding names that are unrelated, including numerous fraudulent orders seeking to capitalize on the name. The Order retains sovereignty under international law, and participates in the United Nations as a “permanent observer.” The international nature of the Order enables it to pursue its humanitarian activities without being seen as an agent for any particular country. The Order issues its own passports, licence plates, stamps and coins. Friar Matthew Festing, a bookish art expert was elected Grand Master of the Knights of Malta in 2008. In February 2013, the Order celebrated its 900th anniversary which included a general audience with Pope Benedict XVI and a Holy Mass. But with the coming of Pope Francis, an internal battle within the Order had developed between the German-speaking reformist Knights, and the English and Italian -speaking conservative Knights. The reformists Knights were frustrated by the leadership who blocked needed changes that would allow the Order to focus on humanitarian work. The conservative Knights were more interested in pomp, Old-Rite liturgies and suspicion of Pope Francis. The conservatives have close connections to the wealthy and powerful of Argentina, and have long been linked to power plays in Italian politics and high finance, as well as to conservative networks in the Vatican. One observer close to the Pope in describing the Knight of Malta to a reporter said “Part of it is a wonderful humanitarian organization, but part of it is a mafia, pure and simple”
To be continued…
Sources: foxnews.com, knightsofmalta.com, independent.co.uk, cruxnow.com