Structure and organization of the Order of Malta

The Order of Malta constitutes the sole unbroken continuation of the Order of the Hospital of St. John recognised in 1113. It alone is a religious Order of the Catholic Church and at the same time a Catholic Order of Knighthood. It alone contains the governing nucleus of the professed Knights of Justice, direct successors of its founders, from among whom the Grand Master and most of the members of the Soverign Council are elected, and which is placed above the ranks of the lay Knights, grown numerous since the fall of Malta. It has never ceased to be recognised by the community of nations as sovereign and independent of any civil power. These facts consitute the irrefutable proof of the Order's unique historical identity and authenticity, to which no other organisation can lay claim.

Sovereignty

The sovereignty of the Order is expressed in the diarchy of the Prince and Grand Master, who is the Supreme Head, and of the Councils :

the Sovereign Council
the General Chapter - Supreme assembly of the Knights, it convenes normally every five years, and elects members of the Sovereign Council;
the Council Complete of State - Convened for the purpose of electing a Grand Master or a Lieutenant.

Both the General Chapter and the Council Complete of State contain representatives of the Grand Priories, Priories, Sub-Priories, and National Associations, into which the Order is territorially divided throughout the world.

The Grand Master

The full title of the Grand Master is, in Latin : Dei gratia Sacrae Domus Hospitalis Sancti Johannis Hierosolymitani et militaris Ordinis Santi Sepulchri Dominici magister humilis pauperumque Jesu Christi custos. A part of this title commemorates the granting to the Grand Master d'Aubusson of the Mastership of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre by Pope Innocent VIII in 1489, which grant proved temporary.

Enjoying the precedence of a Cardinal and therefore that of a Royal Prince as well as the dignity of Prince of the Holy Roman Empire (recognised later by Austria and Italy), and formerly a reigning Prince of Rhodes and then of Malta, the Grand Master is styled both Eminence and Highness, or Most Eminent Highness, and is internationally recognised as a Chief of State and sovereign honours are vested in him.

Currently, the Grand Master is His Most Eminent Highness the Prince and Grand Master Fra' Andrew Bertie.

Full list of the Grand Masters of the Order of Malta.

Sovereign Council

The Grand Master governs the Order with the assistance of the Sovereign Council, presided by himself and composed of the four High Officers of the Grand Magistry elected by the General Chapter :

- the Grand Commander
S. Exc. le Vén. Bailli Fra' Ludwig Hoffmann von Rumerstein

- the Grand Chancellor
S. Exc. le Bailli Grand-Croix d'Obédience Amb. Comte Don Carlo Marullo di Condojanni, Prince di Casalnuovo

- the Hospitaller
S. Exc. le Bailli Grand-Croix d'Obédience Albrecht Freiherr von Boeselager

- the Receiver of the Common Treasure
S. Exc. le Bailli Grand-Croix d'Obédience Amb. Comte Don Carlo Marullo di Condojanni, Prince di Casalnuovo

as well as of six Councillors. The holders of these offices are chosen from among the professed Knights and, exceptionnally, from among the Knights of Obedience.

The Sovereign Pontiff nominates as His representatives to it a Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church, styled Cardinalis Patronus: the latter is assisted by the Prelate of the Order, who is likewise appointed by the Sovereign Pontiff. The Prelate of the Order is the ecclesiastical superior of the Order's clergy and the Grand Master's assistant in the care for the spiritual welfare of the Order.

Constitution

The life and activities of the Order are regulated by the Constitutional Charter approved by the Holy See, and the Code. The Code de Rohan, promulgated by the Grand Master de Rohan in the eighteenth century, retains its validity as a supplementary source of law, provided its provisions are applicable and not contrary to the two other sources of law. Juridical questions and problems of interest and importance for the Order are dealt with the Consultative Juridical Council, appointed by the Grand Master with the consent of the Sovereign Council.

Justice

The Order has its own Courts of Law of First Instance and Courts of Appeal, with the Presidents, Judges, Promoters of Justice and Auxiliaries appointed by the Grand Master with the deliberative vote of the Sovereign Council. Appeals against the sentences of the Order's Courts may be lodged with the Court of Cassation of the Vatican State, which, in such cases, acting by proxy on behalf of the Order, may exercise the function of Supreme Court.

Comptability

A Board of Auditors, elected by the General Chapter, controls the income and the expenditures of the Order.

False Orders Committee

Some organizations are using the name, or part of it, the badge and the history of the SMOM. To fight against these self-styled orders (false orders), the SMOM and the four members of the Alliance of Orders of Saint John have created this committee.

	Address	Phone	Fax
Seat	Via Condotti 68 00187 Roma Italy	+39 / 6 / 675 811	+39 / 6 / 679 7202
Website	http://www.smominfo.org/governo/comunicatofoen.html
Secretary	Johanniterstr. 9 53193 Bonn Germany	+49 / 228 / 53 011 13	+49 / 228 / 23 45 71
Members	Sovereign Military Order of Malta Most Venerable Order of St. John of Jerusalem Dalley Brandenburg des Ritterlichen Ordens St. Johannis von Jerusalem Hohanniterorden i Sverige Johanniterorde in Nederland

Diplomatic relations

Under the provisions of International Law, the Order maintains diplomatic relations, with the Holy See, on which, in its double nature, it depends as a religious Order, but is independent, as a Sovereign of Knighthood, and with the following 75 countries : (chronologically)

Holy See	Spain	Haiti	Panama
Argentina	El Salvador	Portugal	Brazil
Paraguay	Nicaragua	Ecuador	Peru
Lebanon	Italy	Chile	Dominican Rep.
Colombia	Austria	Costa Rica	Liberia
Guatemala	Honduras	Cuba	Somalia
Camerun	Bolivia	Gabon	Uruguay
Philippines	Senegal	Malta	San Marino
Venezuela	Ethiopia	Niger	Benin
Ivory Coast	Egypt	Central Africa Rep.	Comores
Congo (ex- Zaïre)	Thailand	Guinea	Mali
Morocco	Chad	Hungary	Slovakia
Czech Republic	Poland	Madagascar	Seychelles
Romania	Slovenia	Lituhania	Congo (Brazaville)
Russian Federation	Croatia	Cambodia	Sudan
Albania	Liechtenstein	Bulgaria	Latvia
Belarussia	Macedonia	Equatorial Guinea	Capo Verde
Bosnia Herzegovina	Mozambique	Saint-Vincent Grenadines

Moreover, it maintains Delegations in

Germany

Monaco

Switzerland

Belgium

France

United Nations and international organizations

As from 1994, the Order has been admitted as Permanent Observer to the United Nations General Assembly : in this capacity, it maintains Permanent Delegations to the International Organisations in New York, Geneva, Paris, Rome and Vienna.

Conclusion

His Most Eminent Highness the Prince and Grand Master of the Order rules, with the assistance of the Sovereign Council, a world-wide and supranational institution which, while never abandoning its aim of the defence of Christendom, is now dedicated to providing assistance in the sanitary, social and humanitarian fields in the widest possible meaning of these words, without religious and ideological discriminations.