Pope Leo XIV received Cardinal Gianfranco Ghirlanda SJ and Fra’ John Timothy Dunlap, Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, in a private audience on Thursday as efforts continue to resolve tensions over the Order’s constitutional reform.
The meeting comes as questions mount over both its internal governance and the future role of the cardinal patron.
Reports have circulated in recent weeks suggesting that Cardinal Ghirlanda, appointed by Pope Francis in June 2023 with sweeping powers to oversee reform, could in time be replaced. Among those mentioned as possible successors are Cardinal Arthur Roche, prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship, and Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop Emeritus of New York, though sources close to the discussions indicate that no immediate decision on succession formed part of the agenda.
