The Grand Master of the Sovereign Order of Malta, fra’ Giacomo Dalla Torre del Tempio di Sanguinetto, and Francesco Rocca, leading the delegation in his dual role as National President of the Italian Red Cross and of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies had a cordial meeting last Thursday in the Magistral Palace. On the agenda were the various activities in which the Order of Malta and the Red Cross operate side by side, their current commitments and future goals, but above all the spirit that unites the humanitarian mission of these two entities.

“We are united by a ‘red thread’: we work toward the same ends, based on the principle of neutrality and prompted by the attempt to help people who suffer, without any discrimination,” said the Grand Master when greeting the guests. “Our founder, Blessed Gerard, always said ‘Brother, how can I help you? This is the guiding spirit of our action. The Order operates in 120 countries to assist the ‘last’ and the most needy,” he continued.

The Red Cross stressed the importance of the meeting, because it “lays the foundations for working together” and “prevents the risk of the self-referential approach of large humanitarian aid organizations”.