(supersedes previous) (ANSA) - Vatican City, January 25 -
Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of the head of the
Knights of Malta, Fra' Matthew Festing after a row over
distributing condoms in Myanmar, the Vatican press office said
on Wednesday.
"Yesterday, January 24, Fra' Matthew Festing handed in his
resignation during an audience with the Holy Father," the source
said.
"Today, January 25, the Holy Father accepted this
resignation, expressing to Fra' Festing his appreciation and
gratitude for his loyalty and devotion to the successor to Peter
and readiness to humbly serve the good of the Order and the
Church," the press office added.
The Prince and Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Order
of Malta (SMOM), commonly known as the Knights of Malta, must
now present his resignation to its supreme council, which is due
to meet on Saturday for this purpose.
Festing was reportedly asked by the pope to resign in
relation to the December ouster of SMOM grand chancellor,
Albrecht Freiherr, over revelations that the order's charity arm
had distributed condoms in Myanmar under his watch.
Freiherr's dismissal was reportedly backed by the pope's
envoy to the order, conservative Cardinal Raymond Burke, against
Francis' advice.
The ouster led to a period of internal division within the
order, culminating in Festing's meeting with the pope on
Tuesday.
SMOM, the smallest sovereign State in the world, runs a large
charity-hospital organization around the world, and has recently
provided humanitarian aid for countless refugees and migrants.
The Knights of Malta, as they are more widely known, were
founded on the Mediterranean in the 11th century as a military
religious order like the Templars. They were removed from Malta
by Napoleon.
Headquartered in Palazzo Malta in Rome, their mission is
summed up in their motto: "Tuitio Fidei et Obsequium Pauperum";
protecting the Catholic Church and serving those in need.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA
