The Grand Master, Fra’ John Dunlap, attended mass celebrated in the St. John the Baptist Hospital in Rome, run by the Order of Malta’s Italian Association.

Celebrated in the hospital marquee by Archbishop Claudio Celli the mass was also attended by members of the Sovereign Council, heads of the Italian Association, the accredited diplomatic corps, medical staff, hospital patients, members and volunteers of the Order of Malta.

After the celebration in honour of St. John the Baptist, Patron Saint of the Order of Malta, the Grand Master thanked the President of the Italian Association Lorenzo Borghese, the doctors, staff and volunteers of the hospital for their daily work in alleviating suffering, treating disease and assisting the needy, in the finest tradition of the Order of Malta. Fra’ John Dunlap then stayed to greet the doctors, nurses and some of the many patients who attended the celebration.

Accompanied by the hospital leaders – specialized in neurorehabilitation – and Grand Hospitaller Fra’ Alessandro de Franciscis, the Grand Master visited the equestrian area of the hospital. Unique in Italy, it allows patients to practice hippotherapy which brings great benefits from a neurological and psychological perspective during convalescence.