Preface

His Most Eminent Highness, the Prince and Grand Master, Fra' Andrew Bertie

t is a pleasure for me to accept the invitation of the Association of the Italian Knights to present this publication written by Baron Marcello Maria Marrocco Trischitta, Knight of Honour and Devotion.

The book in question constitutes a praiseworthy initiative the need of which has long been felt and deserves special attention. It carries a striking tide for a gripping theme: "Knights of Malta, a legend towards the future". Perusing these very readable pages one call relive in brief the vicissitudes of the Order of St. John throughout the first 900 years of its history.

From Palestine to the conquest of Rhodes, from the Siege of Malta to the troubled period following the loss of the island, from the thrilling prospective indicated by the "Future Strategies" to the recent and prestigious goal of Permanent Observer at the United Nations - the reader is called to participate in one of the most fascinating events in Western Christendom.

This is a popular work which links to the memory of a glorious past, programmes which the Order sets out to undertake at the beginning of its second millennium while underlining the vitality and will to remain faithful to its own traditions, "Tuitio fidei et obsequium pauperum": an occasion to reaffirm its royalty to the mission indicated nine centuries ago by the Blessed Gerard. I hope that this book may contribute towards strengthening the fervour and dedication of our Knights and that it may help those aspiring to belong to the Order to appreciate the current relevance of the Order's ideals and make theirs the defence of Christian Principles.

Fra' Andrew Bertie

The Magistral Palace,
Rome 24th June 1995

back to summary
next chapter