The ousted ‘foreign minister’ of the ancient lay Catholic order, the Order of Malta, has appealed against his suspension to the knights’ internal tribunal, marking a new twist in the standoff between the Vatican and the order.
Albrecht von Boeselager was suspended on December 8 after he defied a demand by the knights’ leader to resign, following reports that the order’s charity branch distributed tens of thousands of condoms in Burma on his watch.
In a statement Mr Boeselager said that he had filed an appeal with the knights’ tribunal. The appeal argues that “not even one of the conditions” governing suspension of members applied to his case.
