THE SPANISH VERSION OF THIS SITE IS NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE

We would like to announce that the Spanish version of the Order of Malta's website is available as of today. The translation of the text was coordinated by the Communications Delegation of the Spanish Association. The French version of the site will be available shortly.

ECOM DISTRIBUTES BASIC NECESSITIES TO THE POPULATION IN GOMA

Dr. Adolf Diefenhardt, Regional Director Africa Programmes, and Dr. Alfred Kinzelbach, Regional Medical Coordinator Great Lakes Region, both Malteser Germany, are in Goma in order to prepare and organize the ECOM emergency aid for the victims of the Nyiragongo eruption. Up to one hundred thousand people who fled the volcanic eruption last Friday have streamed back to Goma across a river of steaming lava since Sunday and returned to their ruined town, shunning the refugee camps being set up for them in Rwanda.

ECOM REFUGEE AID AFTER THE VOLCANO ERUPTION IN CONGO

After the heavy eruption of the volcano Nyiragongo which lies some 10 kilometres north of Goma in the Eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, ECOM (the Emergency Corps of the Order of Malta), will prepare to provide help for the people in Goma with the members of those ECOM associations gratefully already on the spot, actually from Belgium and Germany. Thousands of residents of Goma and 14 villages nearby had fled their homes on thursday afternoon for nearby Rwanda as vast areas of the town were set ablaze by lava flows up to two metres high and 60 metres wide which cut across the town and destroyed dozens of houses. No information on casualties is available at this stage.

THE GRAND MASTER RECEIVES THE ACCREDITED DIPLOMATIC CORPS IN A SOLEMN AUDIENCE.

In the church designed by Giovan Battista Piranesi di Villa Malta in Aventino, the Prince and Grand Master Fra’ Andrew Bertie received the Diplomatic Corps accredited with the order of Malta, in a solemn audience to wish them a happy New Year.

JACQUES DE LIEDEKERKE APPOINTED PRO- GRAND CHANCELLOR OF THE SOVEREIGN ORDER OF MALTA

Count Jacques de Liedekerke took over the office of Chancellor of the Sovereign Order of Malta from Count Carlo Marullo di Condojanni, Prince of Casalnuovo, beginning 1st January 2002.