In a letter sent this week to all members and volunteers of the Sovereign Order of Malta, the Grand Master Fra’ Matthew Festing has made an appeal to help those populations in desperate and urgent need of aid and assistance. “We live in troublesome times. From many parts of the world we receive almost daily perturbing news. The situation in the Middle East is especially of great concern to us. Thousands of Christians and other religious minorities are persecuted and have had to leave their homes”, the Grand Master writes.
In his letter, Fra’ Matthew Festing underlines the invaluable work carried out by the Order of Malta in this troubled region, starting from Lebanon, where a strong cooperation with the Muslim community has contributed enormously to the development of humanitarian projects, stretching to Iraq and Syria where Malteser International – the Order of Malta’s worldwide relief agency – is assisting thousands of refugees. In Bethlehem, adds the Grand Master, the Order of Malta’s maternity hospital – the Holy Family Hospital – is expanding its activities and continues to be a “haven of peace and hope in a land of conflict and despair”.
“Through these actions and many others around the globe we strive not only to assist people in need but also to promote peace”, writes the Grand Master. As the Christmas season approaches Fra’ Matthew Festing urges all members and supporters of the Order of Malta, willing to support its mission, to generously consider donations for the international work carried out, with a special attention to the “ever-increasing stream of refugees and migrants all over the world”.
“Let me end this letter with my best wishes for a peaceful Christmas for you, your families and friends, a peace that I hope may extend to your community and the world to the Glory of God”, the Grand Master concludes.
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