Fra’ Giacomo Dalla Torre takes oath

03/05/2018

Fra’ Giacomo Dalla Torre del Tempio di Sanguinetto, elected Grand Master of the Sovereign Order of Malta yesterday, has sworn his oath of office today in the Church of Santa Maria in Aventino, before the Council Complete of State (the elective body of the Order of Malta) and Archbishop Angelo Becciu, the Pope’s Special Delegate. The Grand Master is elected for life.

After the oath, the Grand Commander, Fra’ Ludwig Hoffmann von Rumerstein conferred the collar of Grand Master and thereafter the Grand Chancellor Albrecht Boeselager declared the Council Complete of State dissolved. A solemn mass was celebrated by Archbishop Becciu and the flag of Grand Master was raised at the top of the Magistral Villa at the end of the ceremony.

For the first time in the history of the Order of Malta two women, Presidents of Associations, including one from Asia, took part in the Council Complete of State.

Tomorrow Fra’ Giacomo Dalla Torre will leave for Lourdes to participate in the 60th international pilgrimage of the Order of Malta.</s>Fra’ Giacomo Dalla Torre is the new Grand Master of the Sovereign Order of Malta. (Fra.fornari CC 4.0 wikipedia)

Fra’ Giacomo Dalla Torre was elected May 2 as the 80th Grand Master of the Catholic lay religious order.

VATICAN CITY — Fra’ Giacomo Dalla Torre was elected Wednesday as the 80th Grand Master of the Sovereign Order of Malta, a position usually held for life. Dalla Torre’s predecessor, Matthew Festing, resigned from the position in 2017.

The election took place May 2, and was conducted by the 54 members of the Council Complete of State, the electing body of the order. Pope Francis was informed of the election result by letter.

Dalla Torre has been interim grand master since April 2017. His appointment to that position was part of ongoing reform of leadership after Festing resigned on Jan. 24, 2017.

He will take his oath as Grand Master May 3, before the Pope’s special delegate to the Order of Malta, Archbishop Angelo Becciu, and the members of the order’s Council Complete of State in the monastery church of the Priory of the Knights of Malta.

According to a statement from the order, the new grand master will be responsible for continuing reforms of the group’s constitution, which began in 2017, “to adapt it to the development that the Order has experienced in recent decades.”

Dalla Torre’s first official engagement will be to preside over the Order of Malta’s 60th International Pilgrimage to Lourdes May 5-8. The annual pilgrimage includes over 7,000 members and volunteers from all over the world, including 1,600 sick and disabled pilgrims.

The Sovereign Military Order of Malta is a Catholic lay religious order originally founded as the Knights Hospitaller around 1099 in Jerusalem. Now based in Rome, it is present in 120 countries with over 2,000 projects in the medical-social field and more than 120,000 volunteers and medical staff.

The grand master is the “sovereign and religious head of the Order,” the news release states, and “is vested with supreme authorities.”

“Together with the Sovereign Council, the Grand Master issues the legislative measures not covered by the constitution, promulgates government acts and ratifies international agreements. The States with which the Order has diplomatic relations recognize the Grand Master with the prerogatives, immunities and honors reserved for Heads of State.”

Dalla Torre was born in Rome in 1944. He holds a degree in philosophy from the University of Rome, with a specialization in Christian Archaeology and Art History.

He has taught courses in Classic Greek at the Pontifical Urbanianum University in Rome and has served as head of the university’s library and chief archivist for important collections.

Dalla Torre entered the Order of Malta in 1985 and made his solemn vows as a professed knight in 1993. From 1994-1999 he served as grand prior of Lombardy and Venice, and from 1999-2004 was a member of the Sovereign Council.

In 2004, he was elected grand commander, and after the death of the 78th grand master, Fra’ Andrew Bertie, he stood in as interim lieutenant. He served as grand prior of Rome from 2008 to 2017.

He was appointed interim grand master April 29, 2017, after Festing’s earlier resignation, which marked the end of a month-long back and forth between the Order of Malta and the Holy See, beginning with the forced dismissal of Grand Chancellor Albrecht von Boeselager from both his position, and his membership in the order, in early December 2016. Von Boeselager was subsequently reinstated as Grand Chancellor and he continues to occupy that office.</s>Rome, May 2 - Fra' Giacomo Dalla Torre del Tempio di Sanguinetto was elected as 80th Grand Master of the Sovereign Order of Malta (the Knights of Malta) on Wednesday. The Order's elective body of 54 members elected hi, the order said in a statement.</s>Rome, May 2 - Fra' Giacomo Dalla Torre del Tempio di Sanguinetto was elected as 80th Grand Master of the Sovereign Order of Malta (the Knights of Malta) on Wednesday. The Order's elective body of 54 members elected hi, the order said in a statement. Dalla Torre was elected as head for a year on April 29 last year as Lieutenant Grand Master, and now assumes the lifetime post of Grand Master.</s>The interim leader of the Order of Malta, the world’s oldest chivalric order, was elected Wednesday as Grand Master for life, one year after Pope Francis forced his predecessor to resign following an internal power struggle.

Giacomo Dalla Torre del Tempio di Sanguinetto, a 74-year-old Italian medieval art expert, was named interim head in April 2017 and tasked with ushering in a period of reform within the order, which is so far yet to materialise.

Fifty seven members were selected to participate in the vote on Dalla Torre’s nomination, including two women, a first in the conservative order’s history.

A centuries-old lay religious mission, the Order of Malta provides humanitarian aid in crisis zones around the world.

It comprises 13,500 members ranked by their noble titles and who are expected to lead an exemplary Christian life while participating in the Order’s charity activities.

The influential mission which was founded in Jerusalem and recognised by the pope in 1113, operates in around 120 countries and is one of the biggest landowners in Italy.

The Grand Master must already be among one of the order’s 56 “professed knights” — the mission’s top tier of membership — and show evidence of sufficiently noble lineage.

A papal delegation had asked the order to envisage a constitutional reform to make the selection process less elitist, but the change has so far not been implemented.

Recently, the order begged its members not to comment publicly on a book, fiercly critical of Pope Francis entitled “The Dictator Pope.”

It was written by a member of the order close to the former Grand Master, Britain’s Matthew Festing, who Pope Francis asked to step down in 2017.</s>Rome, May 2 - Fra' Giacomo Dalla Torre del Tempio di Sanguinetto was elected as 80th Grand Master of the Sovereign Order of Malta (the Knights of Malta) on Wednesday. The Order's elective body of 54 members elected him, the order said in a statement. Dalla Torre was elected as head for a year on April 29 last year as Lieutenant Grand Master, and now assumes the lifetime post of Grand Master. Pope Francis has been informed by letter of the election result. Fra' Giacomo was born in 1944 in Rome. He graduated in Humanities from the University of Rome, specialising in Christian Archeology and History of Art. He became a member of the Sovereign Order in 1985 and took his Solemn Vows in 1993. From 2008 to April 2017, Fra' Giacomo Dalla Torre held the post of Grand Prior of Rome. According to the Order's Constitution the Grand Master is the sovereign and religious head of the Order. Elected for life, the Grand Master will be responsible for continuing the reform of the Constitution of the Order of Malta started in 2017, to adapt it to the developments that the Order has experienced in recent decades. The first official engagement of the Grand Master will be to preside over the 60th Order of Malta International Pilgrimage to Lourdes, which will take place from 5 to 8 May. In January last year Pope Francis accepted the resignation of the then head of the Knights of Malta, Fra' Matthew Festing, after a row over distributing condoms in Myanmar. The Prince and Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), commonly known as the Knights of Malta, went on to present his resignation to its supreme council. Festing was reportedly asked by the pope to resign in relation to the December 2016 ouster of SMOM grand chancellor, Albrecht Freiherr von Boeselager, over revelations that the order's charity arm had distributed condoms in Myanmar under his watch. Von Boeselager's dismissal was reportedly backed by the pope's envoy to the order, conservative Cardinal Raymond Burke, against Francis' advice. Festing had refused to cooperate with a papal commission investigating von Boeselager's removal, and cited the Knights' status as a sovereign entity. SMOM runs a large charity-hospital organization around the world, and has recently provided humanitarian aid for countless refugees and migrants. It has diplomatic relations with over 100 states and the European Union, and permanent observer status at the United Nations. The Knights of Malta, as they are more widely known, were founded on the Mediterranean in the 11th century as a military religious order like the Templars. They were removed from Malta by Napoleon. Headquartered in Palazzo Malta in Rome, their mission is summed up in their motto: "Tuitio Fidei et Obsequium Pauperum"; protecting the Catholic Church and serving those in need.</s>Rome, May 2 - Fra' Giacomo Dalla Torre del Tempio di Sanguinetto was elected as 80th Grand Master of the Sovereign Order of Malta (the Knights of Malta) on Wednesday. The Order's elective body of 54 members elected him, the order said in a statement. Dalla Torre was elected as head for a year on April 29 last year as Lieutenant Grand Master, and now assumes the lifetime post of Grand Master. In January last year Pope Francis accepted the resignation of the then head of the Knights of Malta, Fra' Matthew Festing, after a row over distributing condoms in Myanmar. The Prince and Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), commonly known as the Knights of Malta, went on to present his resignation to its supreme council. Festing was reportedly asked by the pope to resign in relation to the December 2016 ouster of SMOM grand chancellor, Albrecht Freiherr von Boeselager, over revelations that the order's charity arm had distributed condoms in Myanmar under his watch. Von Boeselager's dismissal was reportedly backed by the pope's envoy to the order, conservative Cardinal Raymond Burke, against Francis' advice. Festing had refused to cooperate with a papal commission investigating von Boeselager's removal, and cited the Knights' status as a sovereign entity. SMOM runs a large charity-hospital organization around the world, and has recently provided humanitarian aid for countless refugees and migrants. It has diplomatic relations with over 100 states and the European Union, and permanent observer status at the United Nations. The Knights of Malta, as they are more widely known, were founded on the Mediterranean in the 11th century as a military religious order like the Templars. They were removed from Malta by Napoleon. Headquartered in Palazzo Malta in Rome, their mission is summed up in their motto: "Tuitio Fidei et Obsequium Pauperum"; protecting the Catholic Church and serving those in need.</s>VATICAN CITY (AP) - The Knights of Malta, the ancient Roman Catholic aristocratic lay order that weathered a governance scandal last year, has elected an Italian nobleman as its leader for life.

The 54 electors on Wednesday tapped Fra' Giacomo Dalla Torre del Tempio di Sanguinetto as grand master. The 73-year-old Dalla Torre had been serving as the lieutenant grand master since last year - a temporary post that now becomes a life term with his election as the 80th grand master in the order's 900-year history.

The Knights' governance crisis was sparked by a condom distribution scandal that ended when Pope Francis intervened to oust the Knights' previous grand master. The papal intervention and subsequent Vatican-accompanied reform was remarkable given the Knights have many of the trappings of a sovereign state.

Knights of Malta, wearing black robes, walk procession before the election of the new Grand Master, at the order's Villa Magistrale on Rome's Aventine Hill ahead of the secret balloting, Wednesday, May 2, 2018. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Knights of Malta, wearing black robes, walk in a procession before the election of the new Grand Master, at the order's Villa Magistrale on Rome's Aventine Hill ahead of the secret balloting, Wednesday, May 2, 2018. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Knights of Malta Fra' Ludwig Hoffmann von Rumerstein, left, with walking stick is helped by Albrecht von Boeselager, former Grand Chancellor, as they follow Lieutenant Giacomo Dalla Torre del Tempio di Sanguinetto, right, during a procession before the election of the new Grand Master, at the order's Villa Magistrale on Rome's Aventine Hill ahead of the secret balloting, Wednesday, May 2, 2018. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)</s>The Knights of Malta, the ancient Roman Catholic aristocratic lay order that weathered a governance scandal last year, has elected an Italian nobleman as its leader for life.

The 54 electors on Wednesday tapped Fra’ Giacomo Dalla Torre del Tempio di Sanguinetto as grand master. The 73-year-old Dalla Torre had been serving as the lieutenant grand master since last year — a temporary post that now becomes a life term with his election as the 80th grand master in the order’s 900-year history.

The Knights’ governance crisis was sparked by a condom distribution scandal that ended when Pope Francis intervened to oust the Knights’ previous grand master. The papal intervention and subsequent Vatican-accompanied reform was remarkable given the Knights have many of the trappings of a sovereign state.
Fra' Giacomo dalla Torre del Tempio di Sanguinetto takes oath of office as 80th Prince and Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, after being elected yesterday.