The most remarkable thing about the Order of Malta controversy is not that the Grand Master, Fra’ Matthew Festing, has resigned. That is extraordinary enough, especially given that it was apparently on the invitation of Pope Francis. No, the most astonishing feature of the story is today’s announcement that the Pope will install an Apostolic Delegate to run the Order. In effect, this abolishes the Order as a sovereign entity. Under international law, what we are seeing is effectively the annexation of one country by another.
2:31 PM
The Vatican has destroyed the Order of Malta's sovereignty. What if Italy does the same to the Vatican?
The curia remains a place where cliques have more authority than the law. It doesn't bode well
Ed Condon
5 min read
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