The Knights of Malta soap opera took on new drama on Wednesday as the order's ousted leader apparently returned to Rome on the eve of the election for his successor in spite of a papal delegate asking him not to.
Fra' Matthew Festing, whom Pope Francis effectively ousted as Grand Master in January, is technically eligible to be re-elected during Saturday's vote. But he told fellow knights he merely wanted to cast his ballot.
In an April 15 letter, Francis's delegate running the order, Archbishop Angelo Becciu, had told Fra' Festing to stay away from Rome, saying his presence at the election "would reopen wounds and prevent the event from taking place in an atmosphere of peace and harmony."
