(Rivista Internazionale - December 1997: Aristocratic Monasticism and the Order of St. John, called of Malta - 4/5)

The structure of the Order is a bearing one, notably agile, but it needs physical persons to hold the positions. The government of the Order is composed of the Grand Master, four high officers, four councillors and two deputy councillors; therefore ten sound people fit to govern are needed.

Woodcut from the famous work by Guglielmo Caorsino containing the rule and statutes in their 1489 form. The print shows Caorsino in the act of presenting the new collection of statutes to Grand Master d'Aubuson.

And do not forget, according to Canon Law - which we abide by - a legislature lasts five years. "John Smith" can be a member of the Sovereign Council twice running but the third time he needs a number of votes equal to two thirds of the entire voting assembly, and this limits the already limited rotation of the religious eligible for the government of the Order. We invented the Knights of Obedience - and we are very happy to have done so - because with a special dispensation of the Holy See they can take on the tasks previously performed by the religious. With this pontifical dispensation, to be cautiously requested and cautiously granted case by case, they are entirely equal to the religious. And in our present structure, three of the so-called four high offices are excellently performed by three non-religious, who are Knights of Obedience. All this does not mean that we should not incessantly pray for copious religious vocations to flower in the Order.

A view of the port of Rhodes.

One does not need a particular aptitude for maths, nor is this gratuitous pessimism, but the current number of professed, many of which are not in the first flower of youth, has to be worrying. Like it or not, the Order is based on the certainly exemplary presence of the religious knights. Should they no longer exist, the Order would no longer be a religious order and the Holy See would have no more reason to recognise it. Wider perspectives are expected from the current reform of the Constitutional Charter and Code. The Order is sovereign; that is, it is a State sui generis which has the right to passive legislation. The Order is recognised, first of all, by the Holy See. The Order has its own ambassador to the Holy See. It has diplomatic relations with over 75 States. The Order's life is considerably tormented by the incredible number, in the negative sense, of bogus orders which unfortunately even deceive members of the ecclesiastical hierarchy, and which hold "investitures" of Knights of Malta which have nothing to do with us. Diplomatic passports are even issued and swindlers and charlatans, on the edge of legality, manage to accumulate considerable sums of money and deceive a lot of people by making use of our Order's credit. Today, the Order takes pride in its St. John the Baptist Hospital at Magliana in the city of Rome, specialised in treating injuries. In Europe, the Order is present with its diabetes centres; in Rome, in particular, there are also first-aid and welfare centres for the old, sick and needy in general. In addition, the Order has been, and is still, present alongside the terminally ill and lepers with its welfare activities. Assistance to terminal patients, who often feel very alone, is an admirable activity which undoubtedly requires a suitable psychological preparation. One cannot be weeping and lamenting beside a human life which is fading away, but one must stay beside these brothers or sisters with courage, radiating serenity and resignation. What is the Order's work in the sphere of emergencies? It is universally recognised that the Order knows how to be present in terms of efficiency and efficacy and it has also demonstrated this during the recent earthquakes which are still afflicting our country in the Marches and Umbria. To conclude, via à vis the Order's action in relieving human suffering without distinction of faith or race, it is appropriate to repeat what Albert Schweitzer, the lay missionary of Lambarené, used to say: "The colour of your skin does not matter, I do not care about your religious beliefs, I do not care about your political credo. I only ask you: what are you suffering from?" This seems more relevant than ever today.

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