A senior official of the Order of Malta has admitted that its recent conflict with the Pope threatened to upset relations with many of its donors.
Dominique de La Rochefoucauld-Montbel, grand hospitaller of the order, said the crisis had been "troublesome for our donors," many of whom "decided maybe not to help us any more because they thought we were fighting against the Pope, which is not true."
"So now we have to restore this trust," he said.
He was speaking at a press conference alongside the Order's newly reinstated grand chancellor, Albrecht von Boeselager.
