Order of Malta: Concerns About the Reform

For several months, Cardinal Silvano Tomasi, special delegate of the Holy See for the Order of Malta, has been preparing, with the greatest discretion, the reform of a nearly thousand-year-old institution.

The draft constitution – still under discussion at the highest levels of the Order – has just been foiled, creating perplexity, concern and confusion, among the knights.

Enough to bring Cardinal Tomasi out of his usual reserve: “I am surprised that the president of the German association of the Order has, on his own initiative, and without having the right to do so, proceeded with the publication of a preliminary draft that he himself should not have had in his possession,” deplored the high prelate, in a letter dated January 14, 2022.

What is certain is that the draft constitution circulated to the knights contains a number of potentially explosive changes affecting the structure and governance of the Order.

The reform orchestrated by the highest Roman authorities would tend to subordinate the Order of Malta to the Holy See, notably granting the pope the power to veto the election of the Grand Master, or to intervene at will in the process of modifying the constitutions, a prerogative returning by right to the Sovereign Council: unheard of in a millennium of existence.

These are all developments that could also have a significant impact on the status of the Order under international law, calling into question its ability to maintain active diplomatic relations with other States – around a hundred at present – ​​as well as its status as a permanent observer to the United Nations.

On the Roman side, the urgency is to clear the ground in order to prevent the knights’ revolt from spreading: “the published text is only a draft intended to integrate the modifications emanating from qualified members,” defends Cardinal Tomasi, requiring the various leaders to “abstain from any evaluation of a text still awaiting final formulation.”

And the special delegate of the Holy See assures the knights of having the intention of fully informing them of the proposed changes, but only after a “limited consultation” of the highest authorities of the Order, including in particular the current lieutenant Grand Master, Fra Marco Luzzago, and Grand Chancellor Albrecht von Boeselager.

With so many language precautions it will be hard to convince. Especially since this leak comes at the worst time for the supporters of the reform: in fact, Cardinal Tomasi was to propose the draft amended constitution to the Grand Council of Knights on January 25.