Knights and Dames vow to fight Vatican threat to 900-year sovereignty of the Order of Malta

Crisis talks in Rome between the Vatican and Order of Malta about controversial reforms of the Order dramatically broke down yesterday.

Marwan Sehnaoui, the Order's Sovereign Council nominated leader and a Lebanese knight, was “disinvited” by Cardinal Silvano Tomasi from the talks and the Italian head of the Order, Riccardo Patterno, was invited in his place.

“This act of refusing to invite Marwan after he spoke to the Holy Father as the Order’s nominated representative is an act of huge disrespect to the Order,” said a senior British knight who did not wish to be named.