The Grand Master of the Order of Malta, Fra’ Andrew Bertie, received at the Magistral Villa on the Aventine the Ambassadors of the 99 countries accredited to the Order for the traditional ceremony of the exchange of good wishes

Here is the address of the Grand Master

It is always with great pleasure that I receive here on the Aventine Hill the members of the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Order, on the occasion of the traditional ceremony of the exchange of good wishes.

Ambassador of the Honduras, Dear Dean, I greatly appreciate the wishes you kindly offered at the start of the year on behalf of the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Order; may I thank you for these kind good wishes and the appreciation which you have shown towards the Sovereign Order of Malta, as well as the gracious interest you have taken in our activities.

I also wish to greet the Ambassadors of Uruguay, Slovenia, Chile, Morocco, Belize, Romania, Jordan, Peru, Montenegro, Colombia, Albania, Paraguay, Italy, Slovakia, Monaco and the Seychelles, as well as the European Commission, all of whom joined the great family of the Order of Malta during the year.

For me and for the Government of the Order, this annual meeting constitutes a privileged moment, because it gives me the opportunity to recall the main events which have marked the life of the Order during 2007, and to look briefly once again at the events around the world where we were able to give assistance and care.

I wish first of all to add my own respects to the homage paid by the Holy Father to the memory of the French Ambassador Bernard Kessedjian, who has died after a long illness; but who has left us with the memory of the passionate Christian courage with which he carried out his mission to Rome.

The year 2007 was marked by numerous official visits and private meetings, and I should like to mention here some among the most notable:

As every year, for the feast of our patron saint, St.John Baptist, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI received me, together with members of the Sovereign Council and our Ambassador to the Holy See, in solemn audience.

Historic visit of His Holiness Benedict XVI to the Order of Malta’s Hospital in Rome

On 2nd December, we experienced together – and many of you here with us today were present then – a historic journey for the Order of Malta and the Italian Association: His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI gave us great joy by coming to celebrate Mass for the sick in our Rome hospital of St John Baptist.The Pope also visited the sick who had been too ill to attend the celebration.

The Holy Father told us of his wish to ‘profit from his visit to entrust his new Encyclical Spe Salvi to the Christian community of Rome and in particular to those who are in direct contact with suffering and sickness’.

It was a moment of great spirituality and intense emotion for us, for the patients and their families, for the doctors and nurses, and for the members of the Order who are responsible for the Hospital and the volunteers. We had the privilege of welcoming the Holy Father into the heart of our great family, a great honour for us and for the entire Order, and an exceptional encouragement for us to follow our service to the sick, responding to His appeal in the Encyclical that ‘The true measure of humanity is essentially determined in relationship to suffering and to the sufferer. This holds true both for the individual and for society. A society unable to accept its suffering members and incapable of helping to share their suffering and to bear it inwardly through ‘com-passion’ is a cruel and inhuman society.’

Pilgrimage to the Holy Land

We kept our promise, made on the occasion of the regional conference we had organised in Lebanon two years ago, to organise an international pilgrimage of the Order to the Holy Land, and last October, 1,350 members of the Order and their families who together represented 21 different nationalities, followed the steps of Christ, to Nazareth, Bethlehem and Jerusalem, reliving the extraordinary experience of a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, cradle of Christianity and of the Order of St John of Jerusalem.

However, I share with you, Dear Dean, the serious concerns you have expressed for the Christians of the Orient, who are marginalised, or forced to leave, and where even priests or religious are persecuted. Churches, convents, Christian orphanages have been attacked in Bagdad and Mossoul.

Other activities during 2007 have included:

– together with the the members of the government of the Order, I had the honour of an official lunch offered by the Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, H.E.Massimo D’Alema, in the magnificent Italian Embassy to the Order of Malta. The Minister was accompanied by the Minister of Health, the Minister of Education, the Minister for Family Affairs and the Presidents of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Senate and of the Chamber of Deputies.

– on my official visit to Brussels, which was highly successful, I had the honour of meeting with His Majesty King Albert, and with the President of the European Commission, the President of the European Parliament, the Secretary General of NATO, and the Belgian Minister for Cooperation and Development. As a result of the visit, President Jose Manuel Barroso decided to accredit to the Sovereign Order an Ambassador Representative of the European Commission, for which I now once again wish to thank him.

– the State visit to Poland, equally important, confirmed the exceptional significance of the historical links which exist between the Order and Poland, and acknowleged the development of the activities carried out by the Polish Association of the Order.

In Warsaw I had discussions with President Lech Kaczynski, with the Prime Minister and members of the government, and with the President of Parliament, as well as with the Cardinal Primate and the Apostolic Nuncio. We also signed an Agreement for Health Cooperation.

In Cracow, I had discussions with Cardinal Dziwisz, Cardinal Macharski and Cardinal Schoenborn, during which we recalled the personality and the role Pope Wojtyla played there. I wish to thank once again Madame the Polish Ambassador to the Sovereign Order for her charming and efficient support throughout this visit.

– the Hospitaller Service of the Grand Priory of Austria of the Order of Malta – the MHDA – celebrated its 50th anniversary in Vienna, in the presence of the President of the Republic of Austria and of the President of Hungary. Over 2,000 members and volunteers of the Order were present. I greet the Austrian Ambassador to the Order, who was also, in former times, a brilliant head of our Austrian Hospitaller Service.

I also had the pleasure of receiving at the Magistral Palace the Latvian Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Paraguay, with their entourages.

Humanitarian action in the field

Again this past year, as you have also noted, Dear Dean, the Order came to the aid of so many of those afflicted by natural catastrophes:

– In Peru, hit by a very powerful earthquake, the Order of Malta acted swiftly to come to the aid of the affected populations of Ica and Lima, through its Peruvian Association and its emergency aid corps, Malteser International, all of whom worked together with the local parishes in providing clothing, food, water and medicines, and in organising a special shelter for children. In November, the Peruvian Association was able to provide 42 prefabricated houses which were put at the disposal of 42 families in the region.

– In Burkina Faso, where the serious floods of last September left 28,000 homeless, the Order of Malta, at the request of the Minister of Social Affairs, provided tents, beds and blankets, and used its ambulances to take the wounded for treatment.

– In the Dominican Republic, the Order offered assistance after the tropical tornado, Noel, by distributing medicines to the value of US$2 million, which were sent by AmeriCares.

– In Mexico, where the violent rains created disastrous inundations, the Mexican Association, aided by the Order’s emergency aid corps, Malteser International, and the volunteers of the local first aid corps, helped on the ground, sending 30 doctors to Villahermosa, and 17 tonnes of medicines and supplies of the basic necessities to the afflicted population.

Hospitaller, medical and health service activities

In parallel with these emergency aid programmes, throughout the year the Order continued to carry out its mission to help the sick, and to run medical and health programmes in 120 countries, unobtrusively, efficiently.

I shall only mention here the newest activities started in 2007:

– In the Democratic Republic of Congo, where we run 300 medical dispensaries, the Order of Malta was asked, in collaboration with the World Food Programme, to distribute 368 tonnes of food for 5,000 internally displaced persons.

– In Kenya, a country with which we have just opened diplomatic relations, we are carrying out programmes in the slums of Nairobi. Up until today, our 8 dispensaries have cared for 600,000 people, and we predict we will have 36 in the area within five years, thus providing support for 1.4 million people, if the local situation returns to calm.

After the extreme violence which has been occurring in the country, my prayers go to the suffering families, especially those whose loved ones perished in the fire at the church in Kiambaa, where they had taken refuge, and to the women and children who have been victims of violence, as well as to the 250,000 internally displaced persons in that ravaged country.

– In Equatorial Guinea, the government has recently entrusted to the Order of Malta the task of carrying out a general study of hospitaller and health care needs in the country, and for their possible development.

– In Palestine, where 47% of the population live below the poverty line, our maternity Holy Family Hospital in Bethlehem is currently running in overcapacity, with 300 births every month. This is an area where 70% of the newborns are of muslim religion. I most especially wish to renew my thanks both to the Belgian Government and the American Congress/US-AID, who have most kindly made significant donations – donations which have made possible the construction of a new neo-natal department, the only one in the entire region.

– In Lebanon, the Order runs 11 very active socio-medical centres, providing 250,000 medical consultations per year. The eleventh centre, at Roum, in the south of the country, is undergoing rebuilding, following the bombings of the previous summer. The priority of our Lebanese Association today is the construction of an emergency medical centre at Ein Ebel, in the south, as well as the reconstruction of three churches which were destroyed during the same period.

– In Iraq, the Order of Malta runs two mobile dispensaries in Bagdad. In 2007 they helped 5,ooo patients; our Lebanese and Iraqi volunteers, made available by the Lebanese Association of the Order of Malta run grave personal risks in giving their assistance.

– In Haiti we continue to support the Sacred Heart Hospital in Crudem in its battle to help children suffering from malnutrition. Thanks to the support of our American Associations, 4,000 children are saved each year.

– In Brazil, the Order and the Ministry of Health signed a Cooperation Agreement for the struggle against leprosy, with particular emphasis to be given to the detection of the disease, and for the rehabilitation of cured patients.

– In Cuba, the Order has an agreement with the largest producers of pharmaceuticals in Poland to supply insulin for sending to Cuba.

– In Poland, Hungary, Romania and the Czech Republic, in Slovakia, in Slovenia, in Lithuania, in Ukraine, in Croatia, in Serbia, in Latvia, in Albania, even in Russia, the Order of Malta has set up aid programmes to the value of 125 million Euro; these programmes are carried out by 10,000 volunteers.

– In Russia, our medical and social activities form a link with the Orthodox Church; in 2007, the Order of Malta renewed study scholarships for young Russian Orthodox seminarians who had been recommended by the Patriarch of Moscow. They come to Rome to complete their theological formation at the Gregorian Pontifical University.

– The ongoing effects of the tsunami in south Asia are still needing resolution and the Order is currently running 65 rehabilitation and reconstruction programmes in Sri Lanka, India and Thailand.

– In India, in 33 villages hit by the tsunami in the district of Kanyakumari, the Order has just launched a project on AIDS prevention.

The International Migration Organisation

The sovereign Order signed a Cooperation Agreement with the International Migration Organisation, IMO, last year, to focus on the Order’s already established aid for refugees, especially in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Darfur, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Agreement will mean the provision of medical and social assistance to immigrants, the protection of drug victims, and aid in emergency situations. In just this spirit, the Italian Association has concluded an Agreement with the coastguard of the Italian Navy, with the focus of providing medical assistance to immigrants rescued from the Mediterranean Sea.

International Humanitarian Law

On the occasion of the 30th International Conference of the Red Cross and the Red Crescent, held at the Institute of International Humanitarian Law, San Remo, the Order of Malta reaffirmed its interest in the development, application and dissemination of international humanitarian law.

Coordination of activities

In order to ensure the most effective and streamlined coordination and development of the Order throughout the world, we held a number of regional conferences during 2007:

– the Conference of European, American and Canadian Hospitallers in Paris;

– the Conference of the Americas, in Mexico City;

– the Eastern and Central European Conference, in Vienna.

The conferences brought together the national Associations, the diplomatic missions and the volunteer organisations in each of these three great regions of the world.

And here I wish to thank especially the members of the Order and the volunteers, the Ambassadors and the Permanent Observers of the Order and their collaborators, who devote themselves to these crucial tasks of care every day, and to our generous donors – Governments, the European Commission, the agencies of the United Nations, philanthropic foundations – these groups who make it possible for the Order to continue to fulfil its mission, and to handle the tasks and responsibilities which continue to grow and develop.

At the institutional level, I wish to mention our excellent and close relations with the Holy See, reinforced by the frequent and cordial meetings I have had at the Magistral Palace with members of the Curia and senior members of the Church. I send my very best wishes to H.E.the Acting Head of General Affairs of the Secretariat of State, Mons.Fernando Filoni, who has recently taken up this high office.

I should like, too, to emphasise the excellence of our relations with our beloved Republic of Italy and once again to welcome the presence of H.E.Antonio Zanardi Landi, the new Ambassador of Italy to the Sovereign Order.

In 2007, the Italian Association of our Sovereign Order, in particular its first aid corps, was especially active in its collaboration with the Department of Italian Civil Protection.

Two new Agreements have enriched the existing cooperation. I refer to the Protocol of Agreement of 16 May 2007 with the Commandant General of the Captaincies of the port in relation to first aid at sea, and to the Protocol of 2 August 2007 with the Forestry Corps with the scope of promoting agreements to protect territory and aid victims in the case of natural catastrophe.

In the year just gone, there have been many personal contacts with the highest authorities of the Italian State. I am thinking in particular of the visit to the Magistral Palace of the President of the Senate, Dr.Franco Marini and of the Keeper of the Seals, Dr.Clemente Mastella.

I recall with great pleasure during these meetings their solemn confirmation to intensify still further the State’s collaboration with the Sovereign Order

The Order of Malta as a victim of misinformation

The nature of current conflicts has changed a great deal since the fall of the Wall in Berlin. Terrorism – or, more exactly – terrorists, deliberately attack civilian populations, including women and children; they make no distinction between combatants and civilians, each using the others as shields or hostages. The distinction becomes even more blurred when armed forces also provide humanitarian assistance.

The humanitarian workers on the ground, amongst whom are members and volunteers of the Order of Malta, are perceived as legitimate targets. They are attacked, ransomed, kidnapped, in occurrences that are becoming more and more frequent; numbers of them have lost their lives.

It is essential that those involved in medical, hospital and health care projects for the victim populations of armed conflicts or civil wars, scrupulously respect the principles of humanity, impartiality and neutrality, independent of any political or partisan consideration. These are the absolute principles that the Order of Malta has observed since the start of its missions and activities around the world.

Now we find that confusions created by the media, careless of verifying their sources, can have mortal consequences.

I refer here to the new conspiracy theories which have sprung up over recent months in various television channels and newspapers in friendly countries, but associating the sovereign Order of Malta with a private society of mercenaries which it is said are operating in Iraq and Afghanistan for a foreign government.

These assertions have absolutely no factual basis.

There is no need, Ladies and Gentlemen Ambassadors to the Sovereign Order, to recount to you the long history of the Order of St John of Jerusalem in the service of the poor and the sick, with its mission to serve those who suffer, without regard to their origin or religion.

Nor is there any doubt that the authors of these assertions are themselves ill-informed. But they must know that such suggestions disseminated internationally or via the internet put the lives of our volunteer carers in grave danger as they go about their work of distributing medicines or food in these very countries, under the emblem of the Order’s eight-pointed cross.

And so I wish to thank especially the Ambassadors of these countries, present here this morning, who immediately contacted their governments or who gave us their much valued advice.

May I take this opportunity to acknowledge Your Excellencies,

for the support you have shown to the Order in your respective countries,

for your readiness to help and for the interest you show personally in our mission of Hospitallers;

to ask your understanding if I am forced from time to time to postpone the kind invitations of your Sovereigns or Presidents or yourselves to visit your countries.

May God watch over you.