Pope Francis received ambassadors of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta on January 27 and emphasized the order’s subjection to the Pope.
Citing a decision made by a tribunal of cardinals in 1953, Pope Francis spoke of the order’s “subordination, as a religious order, to the Holy See, and its obedience to the Pope, as the supreme superior of all religious institutes.” The Pope encouraged the ambassadors to collaborate with papal nuncios as they carry out their humanitarian mission.
The Pope also reflected on the order’s charism of “the defense of the faith and service to the poor: both together.”
The ambassadors’ audience with the Pope took place nearly nine months after the election of a new leader of the order, which brought to a close a tumultuous five-year reform process that included extraordinary papal interventions.