Grand Chancellor of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta receives Prime Minister of the Republic of Romania

The Grand Chancellor of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, Riccardo Paternò di Montecupo, today received the Prime Minister of Romania, Marcel Ciolacu, at the Magistral Palace. During the meeting, which lasted 40 minutes, the two delegations discussed the excellent state of bilateral relations, the Order of Malta’s cooperation with Romanian first-aid facilities, the development of the Cooperation Agreements, the work carried out in several disadvantaged communities in Romania and the activities of the Order’s Romanian Relief Corps (Serviciu de Ajutor Maltez din Romania) providing aid to displaced people in Ukraine.

The Grand Chancellor and the Romanian Prime Minister also discussed the different ways to optimize and strengthen cooperation, also at a regional level, based on the two Cooperation Agreements signed in 2002 and 2018 respectively.

“We are pleased to confirm the excellent relations and friendly bonds between Romania and the Sovereign Order of Malta and we trust that a stronger operational collaboration with Romanian central and local authorities will increase the support to our Lords the Sick and the poor”, said Riccardo Paternò di Montecupo, to whom the Romanian premier reiterated words of “heartfelt thanks for the incomparable commitment expressed by the volunteers and the various entities” of the Order of Malta in his country.

The meeting ended with the shared hope of further strengthening diplomatic ties between the Order of Malta and Romania. The Prime Minister invited the Grand Chancellor to visit his country soon. Established in 1991, during these thirty years of diplomatic engagements there have been numerous visits made and received by the two delegations, testifying to the excellent relations. The latest visit of a Romanian Prime Minister to the Sovereign Order of Malta was in 2018.

In addition to the Order of Malta’s Romanian Relief Corps, the Order’s Association also operates in the country, managing over one hundred projects, many in collaboration with local authorities, including Civil Protection and the Romanian Red Cross. Created in 1962, the Association operates countrywide with a network of over 1,200 volunteers. Its main activities include assistance programmes for the elderly and disabled, integration projects for the Roma community, training in emergency preparedness, and for the past two years assistance for Ukrainian refugees both at the border with Ukraine and in Ukraine itself in collaboration with the Order of Malta’s other entities active in the country.

The meeting was also attended by the Deputy Prime Minister of Romania Marian Neacsu, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Luminita Odobescu, and other members of the Romanian government. Also present was the Order of Malta’s Ambassador to Romania, Roberto Musneci.

The Sovereign Military Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes, and of Malta, founded in Jerusalem around the year 1048, is a primary subject of international law and a Catholic religious and lay order. Its mission is to bear witness to the faith and to serve the poor and the sick. Today, the Order of Malta primarily operates in the field of medical-social assistance and humanitarian interventions and is present in over 120 countries. Alongside its 13,500 members, 95,000 volunteers operate, supported by approximately 52,000 doctors, nurses, and paramedics. The Order manages hospitals, medical centers, clinics, institutions for the elderly and disabled, centers for terminal patients, socio-healthcare assistance projects, and psychological support for migrants and refugees. Malteser International, the international relief agency of the Order of Malta, provides emergency aid in war zones and in cases of natural disasters. The Order is currently engaged in Ukraine, in over 70 locations in the country and neighboring countries. In the Middle East, it assists populations affected by conflicts in Syria and Iraq and manages the only hospital with a neonatal intensive care unit in Bethlehem. The Italian Relief Corps of the Order of Malta participates in rescue operations for migrants in the Mediterranean Sea. The Order of Malta is neutral, impartial, and apolitical. It has diplomatic relations with 113 states, official relations with another 6 states, and ambassadorial level relations with the European Union. It has the status of Permanent Observer at the United Nations and is represented in major international organizations. Since 1834, the government of the Sovereign Order of Malta has been headquartered in Rome. The 81st Grand Master is Fra’ John Dunlap.