Members of the Order of Malta about to elect a new permanent leader were asked instead to consider electing a lieutenant who would temporarily take the reins of the order.
The request was sent by the order's leadership in an email reported by the National Catholic Reporter on April 26 and confirmed by the order's press office in Rome.
Electors representing members of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta were to meet as the Council Complete of State beginning on April 29 in Rome.
According to the order's Constitutional Charter, a lieutenant is elected if the Council Complete of State fails to elect a grand master after the fifth ballot. The election of a grand master, who is elected for life, requires a two-thirds majority.
