‘Between believers, we have a better understanding of each other,” the Grand Hospitaller of the Order of Malta tells me. He is characteristically French, a confident man and the face of the order.
The Sovereign Order of Malta (full name: The Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta) is the oldest Catholic lay order, dating back more than a thousand years. It has been described as “a nation without territory”. Yet despite its vast scope – today, the order is active in 120 countries and employs over 27,000 medical and paramedical personnel, as well as a further 100,000 volunteers – the Order of Malta is not as well known as many smaller organisations operating in the same fields.
