Prelate
Ecclesiastical superior of the Order of Malta clergy
The Prelate is the ecclesiastical superior of the clergy of the Order with priestly functions. He ensures that the religious and priestly life of the Chaplains and their apostolate are followed according to the discipline and spirit of the Order. He supports the Grand Master, the Grand Commander and the Coordinator of the Second Class in supervising the religious life and devotion of all members and all aspects relating to the spiritual nature of the Order’s institutions and works. The Prelate is appointed by the Supreme Pontiff after consulting the Cardinalis Patronus. At each session of the General Chapter and the Chapter of Professed, the Prelate presents a report on the spirituality of the Order’s clergy.
The Prelate of the Order of Malta
Reverend Msgr. Luis Manuel Cuña Ramos
Born in 1966 in Orense (Galizia) in Spain, Luis Manuel Cuña Ramos has spent most of his life in Italy, mainly in Rome, where he was awarded a doctorate in Ecclesiastical History and carried out archival studies. He was ordained a priest by St. John Paul II on 14 June 1992 for the diocese of Orense. After spending two years in his diocese, he returned to Rome to work at Propaganda Fide Historical Archives, where he remained for almost a quarter of a century. He was a visiting professor at the Pontifical Urban University and at the Pontifical Gregorian University. Since 2012 he has served as historical consultor of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints. Three years ago, he returned to his hometown to serve as Episcopal Delegate for the Cultural Heritage of the Bishopric of Ourense.
Msgr. Luis Manuel Cuña Ramos has been the Prelate of the Order of Malta since December 21st 2023.
