Pope appoints special delegate to Sovereign Order of Malta
February 06, 2017
Pope Francis has appointed Archbishop Giovanni Angelo Becciu as his special delegate to the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.
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Since 2011, Archbishop Becciu has served as the sostituto—one of the leading officials of the Secretariat of State, responsible for the coordination of the Roman Curia. While remaining in that position, the prelate will serve as special delegate until the conclusion of the order’s extraordinary general chapter, at which a new grand master will be elected.
In a letter dated February 2 and made public on February 4, Pope Francis told Archbishop Becciu that he would help draft revisions to the Order’s constitutional charter.
“Until the termination of your mandate, that is, up to the conclusion of the extraordinary Chapter which shall elect the Grand Master, you shall be my exclusive spokesman in all matters regarding the relations between this Apostolic See and the Order,” Pope Francis wrote. “I therefore delegate to you all the powers necessary to decide on any eventual issues that may arise with regard to the implementation of the mandate entrusted to you.”
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Further information:
- Lettera Pontificia al Sostituto per gli Affari Generali della Segreteria di Stato per la nomina a Delegato Speciale presso il Sovrano Militare Ordine di Malta, 04.02.2017 (Holy See Press Office)
- Papal letter to the Substitute for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State for his appointment as Special Delegate to the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, 04.02.2017 (Holy See Press Office)
- Sovereign Order of Malta thanks Pope for intervention, sees ‘renewed vigor’ (CWN, 2/3)
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Posted by: [email protected] -
Feb. 06, 2017 10:26 PM ET USA
There would not be these issues if the Pope would reign in his South American pride and put aside the politics.
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Posted by: wsw33410 -
Feb. 06, 2017 8:32 AM ET USA
It seems that the Pope further undermines a role and position of Cardinal Burke by appointing a special delegate .. Isn't Card Burke, already, formally representing the Pope at the KofM?
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Posted by: Randal Mandock -
Feb. 06, 2017 6:50 AM ET USA
Seems like political posturing. The Pope already has a man in place: Cardinal Raymond Burke, Patron of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. But of course the Pope cannot use Cardinal Burke for anything important to his papacy because in the mind of Francis, Burke is his political enemy. Commentators on the situation within the order make this clear. For example: "The Order is a collateral victim of the troubled relationship between the pope and Cardinal Raymond Burke" (Le Monde, 25 Jan 2017).
