(Rivista Internazionale - December 1994: A new body, but with an ancient heart, sustained by a noble and glorious thousand-year-old tradition - 1/2)

Chapter General

REPORT OF THE PRELATE
A new body, but with an ancient heart...
...sustained by a noble and glorious thousand-year-old tradition

Rome. The Feast of Immaculate Conception. H.M.E.H. the Prince and Grand Master in prayer before the Statue of the Holy Virgin in Piazza di Spagna, with the Order's Prelate, Msgr. Donato de Bonis, and the high officers of the Sovereign Council, in the presence of some of the city authorities (left).

Most Eminent Highness, Excellencies, dear Confreres,
Barely a year from my appointment as Prelate of the Order of Malta I would not venture to make judgements or offer suggestions. It would be highly presumptuous on my part. But I do profoundly feel a duty, firstly, to stress my great pride in being able to participate in this Chapter General; secondly, to thank the Grand Master and all the noble dignitaries for the way in which they have welcomed me and the fraternal and stimulating cordiality of their relations with me; and thirdly, to assure my humble but continual willingness to take part in the Order's various initiatives, always strictly within the limits of my own competence.
I was sent with the recommendation to look after the religiosity of the Order. But during this first year I have felt that your religiosity has taken care of me. Just after taking up my appointment in June 1993 I participated in the Spiritual Exercises and the holy celebrations for our Patron St. John; I immersed myself with you in the Franciscan pilgrimage to Assisi, and shared in the grace of accompanying Our Lords the Sick to Loreto. I have enriched my soul in the encounter with the Professed and Novices, and then again met up with you in Malta for an overwhelming experience of humility, prayer and study, addressing new and very delicate issues. I have had many occasions to express my modest thoughts during the religious ceremonies in the Magistry chapel and while preaching for the preparation of Easter. All this in ten months, not to mention flying to Milan to encounter the Lombardy-Veneto chaplains, to Venice for a solemn profession to Budapest, and to Hegger for the benediction of a Knight of Obedience, while in Rome I had all the chaplains of Latium as my guests at mass in Rhodes Palace.

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