Who are the Knights of Malta?

What is the order and what is its purpose?

The Knights of Malta, an ancient Catholic order which operates as global charity, has its headquarters on one of Rome's most exclusive streets, the cobble-stoned Via Condotti where red-and-white flags bearing the Maltese Cross fly above the entrance.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The leadership of the order -- formally, the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta -- has been locked in a battle with the Vatican for the past two months.

Here are some facts about the order:

• The Knights of Malta started in 1048 as the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, a monastic community which ran a hospital for pilgrims in the Holy Land. In 1113, it became a lay religious order, with all knights bound by the three monastic vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. It later became a military order to defend its centers and access roads.
• In 1291, after the loss of the Holy Land, it moved to the island of Cyprus. In 1310, it moved to Rhodes and became a major naval force in the Mediterranean. The Knights were defeated by the forces of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent in 1523 and moved to Malta, where they stayed until 1798, when they were forced to leave by Napoleon.
• The order settled definitively in Rome in 1834 and since then it has concentrated on its original mission, mostly through its humanitarian aid arm, Maltaser International.
• Today the institution is a worldwide charity that counts 13,000 members, 80,000 volunteers and some 25,000 paid employees, most of them medical staff.
• The top leadership consists of the Grand Master, the Grand Commander, the Grand Chancellor, the Grand Hospitaller and the Receiver of the Common Treasure (finance minister). They sit above a Sovereign Council, made up of six members.
• The all-male top leaders are not clerics, but they take vows of poverty, chastity and obedience to the pope.
• The institution has the status of a sovereign entity, maintaining diplomatic ties with more than 100 states and the European Union. It also has permanent observer status at the United Nations.

Sources: Sovereign Order of Malta

What is the Sovereign Order of Malta?

Founded in the 11th century in Jerusalem, the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta is a lay religious order of the Catholic Church and a sovereign subject of international law. Faithful to its centuries old mission of service to the vulnerable and the sick, it runs medical, social and humanitarian projects in 120 countries. The Order of Malta's mission is summed up in its motto "Tuitio Fidei et Obsequium Pauperum": nurturing, witnessing and protecting the faith (tuitio fidei) and serving the poor and the sick (obsequium pauperum).

What do we mean by saying that it is a religious order?

The Order was born as a monastic community inspired by St John the Baptist in the Holy Land around 1050. The Hospitallers ran a hospice providing care and shelter for pilgrims of any faith. In 1113 it received formal acknowledgement as a religious order from Pope Paschal II. Before the loss of the island of Malta (1798) all knights were religious, having taken the three vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. Still today, some members of the Order of Malta are religious according to Canon Law, others have pronounced the promise of obedience, pledging to follow Christian principles more profoundly while living in society. Most of the Order of Malta's 13,500 knights and dames are lay members. Although they have not pronounced any religious vow, they are all devoted to the exercise of Christian virtue and charity, and committed to developing their spirituality within the Catholic Church and to expending their energies collaborating in the medical and social works of the Order.

What are the works of the Order of Malta?

The Order of Malta runs humanitarian, medical and social projects in 120 countries. It is especially involved in helping victims of armed conflicts and natural disasters by providing medical assistance, caring for refugees, and distributing medicines and basic equipment for survival. It has social
assistance programmes to help the homeless in developed and developing countries, cares for people often pushed to society's fringes including the disabled and elderly, provides first-aid and organizes medical and social campaigns.

How does one become a member of the Order of Malta?

Members of the Order of Malta are admitted by invitation. They are made up of people with undoubted Catholic morality and practice, who have acquired merit over the years with regard to the Order of Malta, its institutions and its humanitarian works. The relevant Grand Priory or National Association is responsible for proposals of admission.

How does one become a volunteer?

Volunteers are most welcome. If you are interested in volunteering please contact directly the National Association or Volunteer Corps of your country.

How many members does it have?

The Order of Malta is made up of more than 13,500 Knights, Dames and Chaplains. Next to them stand 80,000 permanent volunteers and 25,000 employees, most of them medical personnel.

What is the international organization of the Order of Malta?

The Order of Malta operates through 12 Priories, 47 national Associations, 1 worldwide relief agency and 33 Volunteer Corps, as well as numerous hospitals, medical centers, day-care centers and specialist foundations.

Where have the main humanitarian missions been carried out in recent years?

Currently the Order of Malta is committed to assisting the Syrian population fleeing the conflict into neighboring countries and runs operations in Iraq supporting internally displaced people. The Italian Relief Corps of the Order participates in rescue operations in the Mediterranean while the Order of Malta's entities along migration routes to northern Europe provide refugees with emergency aid. Over the past years, the Order of Malta's most significant interventions have taken place in Kosovo and Macedonia, India, South East Asia (after the tsunami), Afghanistan, Pakistan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Haiti, the Philippines and Nepal.

Is it a military order?

The Order became military to protect pilgrims and the sick and to defend the Christian territories in the Holy Land. The Order ceased to carry out military function when it lost the island of Malta in 1798. Today the Order of Malta preserves only its historical military traditions.

How are its activities financed?

Funds come from members, private and public donations and vary according to different countries, types of projects and situations. Resources for hospitals and medical activities usually come from agreements stipulated with the national health and social systems. The same is true for emergency services. In developing countries, activities are often backed by grants from governments, the European Commission or other international organisations. Funds also come from donations or benefactors' contributions to the Order of Malta's activities.

How is the Order of Malta Governed?

The government of the Sovereign Order of Malta has a similar structure to state governments. However, it also includes specific features associated with its nature as a religious lay order, as well as particular terminology evolved from nine centuries of history. The head of the Order is the Grand Master who governs both as sovereign and as religious superior, and is assisted by the Sovereign Council, which he chairs. From 28 January 2017, following the resignation of Fra' Matthew Festing from the office of Grand Master, the Sovereign Order of Malta is governed by a Lieutenant ad interim in the person of H.E. Fra' Ludwig Hoffmann von Rumerstein. He will stay in office until the election of a new Grand Master. The Sovereign Council is elected for a term of five years and is made up of the Grand Commander (the religious superior of the Order's religious members); Grand Chancellor (Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister of the Interior); Grand Hospitaller (Minister for Health and International Cooperation); Receiver of the Common Treasure (Minister for Finance), together with six other members, all elected by the Chapter General. The life and activities of the Order of Malta are governed by its Constitution and its Code.

How are the Order of Malta's diplomatic activities conducted?

The Sovereign Order of Malta is a subject of international law that exercises functions of sovereignty, recognized as such by more than 100 States and by the European Union, with which it exchanges ambassadors. It has permanent observer missions at the United Nations (New York, Geneva, Paris, Vienna, Rome, Nairobi, Bangkok), and with the principal international organizations. Diplomatic relations allow the Order of Malta to intervene with timely and effective humanitarian aid in the event of natural disaster or armed conflict. Due to its status as a neutral, apolitical and independent institution, and its humanitarian role, the Sovereign Order of Malta is able to intervene on an international level as a mediator in disputes.

Is it a chivalrous order?

While members of the Order of Malta in former times traditionally belonged to the aristocracy, the emphasis today is on a nobility of spirit and conduct. Nobility in this deeper sense means: carrying more responsibility than others. Such an attitude is realized in social responsibility, loyalty to the Catholic faith and Church, readiness to uphold Christian tradition and commitment to a corresponding attitude to life and to reach out to people in need. Today, the majority of its members no longer come from ancient noble families, and are admitted because of manifest merits towards the Church and the Order of Malta.

Where is the Order of Malta based?

The Order of Malta settled permanently in Rome, Italy, in 1834. Its two institutional seats, granted extraterritorial rights, are the Magistral Palace on Via dei Condotti - where the Grand Master resides and Government Bodies meet - and the Magistral Villa on the Aventine. The latter hosts the Grand Priory of Rome - which is made up of the Order's members in Central Italy - and the Embassy of the Sovereign Order to the Italian Republic.

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