Rome 9 January 2023 – The commitment to provide relief and health and social care to Ukrainian refugees and displaced persons; projects to assist the most vulnerable communities – from Palestine to Iraq – and to help those impoverished by the pandemic and ongoing economic crisis. These are some of the main points of the speech of the Sovereign Order of Malta’s Lieutenant of the Grand Master, Fra’ John Dunlap, who will receive the accredited Diplomatic Corps tomorrow in audience at the Magistral Villa. An opportunity to recall the most significant humanitarian and diplomatic commitments and to illustrate future activities and challenges, especially with regards to the global crisis caused by the pandemic and the war in Ukraine, as well as the many and often forgotten other conflicts in the world.

The Lieutenant of the Grand Master will focus in particular on the commitment by the Order of Malta’s associations, volunteer and rescue corps – constantly flanked by its diplomatic network – to assist the Ukrainian population, both within the country and in neighbouring states: “We join the continuous appeals launched in recent months by His Holiness Pope Francis who vigorously asks for peace in Ukraine. I find it hard to accept further deaths, injuries, suffering and destruction. We strongly encourage dialogue and diplomacy with respect to the use of weapons”.

As the world prepares to face one of the most serious economic crises of the last decades, the Lieutenant will turn the spotlight on the many wars that have lasted for years and that are fought in silence, far from the cameras and newspapers. Yemen and Syria, to name just a couple in a long list that ranges from Africa to Asia.

A dramatic situation that, Fra’ John Dunlap explains: “Is testing our ability to respond to growing needs around the world. At this difficult moment, our duty is to shed light on the many forgotten wars being fought in various corners of the world”.

But not only wars. The Order of Malta, with its 13,500 members and 150,000 volunteers and employees – as the Lieutenant of the Grand Master records – is present every day on the five continents to assist the elderly, disabled, homeless, disadvantaged families and communities that live on the fringes of society and are now even more challenged by the global economic crisis.

Finally, the diplomatic and institutional activity that characterized the past year will be illustrated: from the visit to President Mattarella to the participation in the Munich Security Conference to which the Order of Malta – also in the next edition -will organize a specific event on religion and diplomacy.

Tomorrow’s audience will be opened by the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Sovereign Order of Malta, the Ambassador of Cameroon, Antoine Zanga, who will speak on behalf of all the ambassadors.

Follow the live streaming on the Order’s Youtube channel: https://youtu.be/KRgUB5RvxoI