VATICAN CITY, NOV. 4, 2005 (Zenit.org).- The Grand Master of the Order of Malta will receive the Path to Peace Award in recognition of his exemplary charitable works.
The foundation of the Holy See’s Mission to the United Nations will confer the annual award to Fra’ Andrew Bertie on Nov. 9, the Vatican press office announced today.
The grand chancellor of the Order of Malta, Jean-Pierre Mazery, will receive the award in name of the grand master at a dinner held by the foundation in New York.
Archbishop Celestino Migliore, apostolic nuncio and permanent observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, is the foundation’s president.
Bertie was born and educated in London.
He was admitted to the Sovereign Order of Malta in 1956. In 1988 he was elected the 78th Prince and Grand Master of the Order of Malta, the highest position in the order.
The Order of Malta, recognized by the Pope in 1133, is the fourth oldest religious order of the Church.
The motto of the order is “Tuitio Fidei et Obsequium Pauperum,” that is, to defend the faith and to serve the poor.
For a time, the order was one of the most advanced fighting and naval forces in the world, but currently works serving the poor and the sick throughout the world.
Currently, there are over 10,000 knights and dames worldwide engaged in charitable works.
As grand master, Bertie oversees the numerous international charitable activities of the order, which now has observer status at the United Nations.
