(ZENIT News / Sydney, 11.08.2024).- The Grand Master, Fra’ John Dunlap, has been awarded an honorary doctorate by the Australian Catholic University. During the ceremony, held on November 4 in Sydney, the Grand Master gave a lectio magistralis which was an opportunity to review the Order of Malta’s millennial history, an institution that “with God’s grace, is adept at discerning “the sign of the times”.
“To discern the sign of the times- the Grand Master said – is to recognise society’s newest challenges and to adapt and transform ourselves to overcome those challenges, ensuring, all the time, that we remain both relevant and effective”. The Grand Master therefore emphasised the unique nature of the Order of Malta, in being both a Religious Order and a Sovereign Entity.“We use our sovereignty to serve the poor and sick, refugees and migrants, the marginalised and forgotten (…), for human rights advocacy, for the rights of migrants and the poor, in opposition to human trafficking, and for other humanitarian causes”.
Describing the different historical stages, the Grand Master then explained how the Order of Malta has become a global force thanks to its hospitaller mission, expanding rapidly over the last 50 years from its original European base to the Americas, Asia and the pacific, with an impressive growth of the humanitarian activities in the 5 continents, parallel to that of diplomatic relations, which are now maintained with 114 countries. “One of the key factors in the endurance of the Order, over these many decades, has been its ability to stay true to the charism of its founder, Blessed Gerard. Tuitio fidei, obsequium pauperum. “Defence of the faith through service to the poor.” It is a significant fact that our assistance to the poor goes directly to the poor. And when I say ‘directly’, I do not mean it in the figurative sense of the word, but rather quite literally. I mean no intermediaries. From the hands of the Members of the Order to the hands of the poor and hungry.”
The reference is to the fieldwork of the 48 National Associations – supported by 13,500 members of the Order of Malta, more than 100 Ambassadors, 50,000 employees and over 100,000 volunteers – that have developed thousands of programmes directly supportive of the poor who are often excluded not only from social programmes, but also from normal human social interaction. “ It is often in the volunteers that we can see a truly evangelical spirit that inspires and permeates their work, sometimes under difficult and even extreme circumstances”, he underlined.
As a matter of fact, “delivering humanitarian assistance has become, in the last decade, more perilous than ever”. Speaking of the Order of Malta’s involvement in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, as in the Middle East, the Grand Master recalled the urgency of respecting international humanitarian law: “The civilian population in conflict zones has sadly become a deliberate target of violent acts: killings, bombings, psychological attacks and physical threats – with the expressed purpose of depriving the population of essential means of survival. Under these reprehensible circumstances, the most vulnerable groups – children, the elderly, the sick, and the disabled – are those who suffer the most. This is unacceptable”.
Within the International Community, the Order of Malta is in the forefront, calling for the implementation of the norms of the International Humanitarian Law. “In the face of today’s issues and tomorrow’s challenges, the traditional Mission and the Charisma of the Order maintain their validity and, I would venture to say, their relevance in the modern world”, concluded the Grand Master, highlighting how religion can still play a crucial role in human and social development today.
At the end of the lectio magistralis, in which the Grand Master said he was honoured by the recognition bestowed on him by one of the elite top 5% universities globally, the official ceremony of conferring an honorary doctorate was held.
The Grand Master, Fra’ John Dunlap, is visiting Australia on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Order of Malta’s Australian Association, active since 1974 in various initiatives starting with the “Coats for the Homeless” programme spread across the country, in palliative care and in responding to disasters such as the summer 2020 bushfires. During the trip’s stops in Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney and Canberra, Grand Master Fra’ John Dunlap, and Grand Chancellor Riccardo Paternò di Montecupo, visited projects supporting the homeless, the marginalised and the sick. The trip was an opportunity to meet with the Governor of Queensland, the Honourable Jeannette Young AC PSM, the Governor of New South Wales, the Honourable Margaret Beasley AC KC, and the Governor-General of Australia, Sam Mostyn AC.
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