Fresh leader for ancient order after Pope intervenes

THE Knights of Malta, an ancient Catholic chivalric order, elected a new Italian leader in Rome yesterday in an effort to end a bitter internal feud that led to the intervention of Pope Francis.

Giacomo Dalla Torre del Tempio di Sanguinetto was named lieutenant of the Grand Master, which means he will serve a one-year term instead of the custom in which a Grand Master holds the job for life.

The 72-year-old was chosen from 12 candidates by the order’s 56-strong council in a secret ballot at its grand 14th-century Magistral Villa, with panoramic views over the Tiber river.

An expert in art and archeology, Mr Dalla Torre taught at Rome’s Pontifical Urban University. He served as the order’s lieutenant for an interim period after the death of Grand Master Andrew Bertie in 2008.

The Knights of Malta is a charity and a sovereign entity that runs refugee camps, disaster-relief programmes and health clinics worldwide.

Matthew Festing, a British former head of the order, resigned in January after conflict with the Holy See over his removal of his German colleague, Albrecht von Boeselager, a senior deputy. Mr Festing defied a Vatican order to stay away from yesterday’s vote.

The Pope met senior officials from the order at the Vatican on Wednesday.

Reformers, backed by the Vatican, want to overhaul the order’s constitution to make it more transparent. Yesterday, the organisation said reform would be a priority for the new leader.

It said in a statement: “The recent crisis has shown some weaknesses in the checks and balances in governance: the reform will take this into consideration. The reform will also focus on strengthening the order’s spiritual life and increasing the number of its professed members.”