Pope Francis receives Grand Master of Order of Malta

By Vatican News

Pope Francis’ audience on Thursday morning with Fra' John Dunlap, the Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, lasted 25 minutes and focused on the humanitarian work carried out by the Order across the globe.

As per tradition, the meeting took place a few days after the feast of St. John the Baptist, patron saint of the Order of Malta, which is celebrated on 24 June.

Members of the Sovereign Council and the Order of Malta's ambassador to the Holy See, Antonio Zanardi Landi, were also present. Afterwards, the Grand Master and the Grand Chancellor, Riccardo Paternò di Montecupo, had a meeting with Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Vatican's Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations.

According to a statement released by the Order of Malta, the discussion was characterized by great cordiality and served as an opportunity to outline the Order's main spiritual, humanitarian, and diplomatic activities carried out in the past year across 120 countries, involving a network of 13,500 members, 100,000 volunteers, 52,000 employees, and over 100 diplomatic missions.

Humanitarian aid in Ukraine and the Holy Land

The Order’s website reports that its assistance to the Ukrainian population, which includes medical and social support, the distribution of food and medicine, transportation and reception points in various locations across Ukraine and neighbouring countries, was a key topic of the conversation.

Discussions also focused on the Order of Malta's presence in the Holy Land, where it runs the Holy Family Hospital in Bethlehem, which has seen the birth of over 100,000 babies since 1990 and is the only hospital with a neonatal intensive-care unit in the region.

Recently, the Order launched an aid program for the population of Gaza in collaboration with the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

Gifts 

At the end of the meeting, Fra' Dunlap presented Pope Francis with a medal depicting Our Lady of Mount Philermos, a symbol of the Order of Malta’s Marian spirituality. The Pope reciprocated with a bronze bas-relief of Saints Peter and Paul and papal documents.