PUBLISHED BY THE GRAND MAGISTRY OF THE SOVEREIGN MILITARY HOSPITALLER ORDER OF ST. J OHN OF JERUSALEM OF RHODES AND OF MALTA the Orde rof Malta February 2011 Newsletter Haiti: the Order’s Grand Master’s Message emergency relief continues From disaster to epidemic: front line relief camps in Port-au-Prince, surgical interventions in Milot Dear Members and Friends of the Order, Over these cold months it has been alteser International, the provision of healthcare services for the sobering to remember those for M worldwide relief service of people of Northern Haiti, the hospital whom the winter snows brought the Order of Malta, treated over 1,000 seriously injured only further hardship, or those continues its work around the clock in and their families, performed over 800 for whom this time of year is Haiti. For the past year, focus has been surgeries on earthquake victims and the loneliest. on emergency aid and early hosted over 1,500 volunteers in the The Order of Malta reconstruction projects in the area first ten months of 2010. With the reaches out to those in great need, around Port-au-Prince. Now in the cholera outbreak, and fear it brought to and our work in disaster-struck fight against the spread of cholera the the population prompting violence, Haiti and Pakistan, as well as our team has put special relief measures in CRUDEM staff calmed local unrest programmes for the homeless in place to improve the hygiene standards and treated hundreds of patients. Europe, stand out with special of the camps in Port-au-Prince to Cases are now being treated earlier, concern at this time. prevent the disease from spreading lessening fears of epidemic. We are proud to acknowledge that further. According to early February the Order of Malta is there for the United Nations official statements, Staving off a further long term, caring for the sufferers over 4,000 people have died from the humanitarian disaster long after a catastrophe has disease, with over 215,000 infected. Malteser International’s hygiene destroyed their world, helping In the north, at the Hôpital Sacré measures include sending out mobile them to rebuild what they once Coeur (CRUDEM), Milot, the Order health units which are disinfecting had, and reconstructing their lives. has been providing assistance for over sanitation facilities and water tanks On an optimistic note, that care 15 years. In addition to the regular (Continues p. 3) can often improve their former conditions. For the homeless, the Order’s support services can bring the recognition that they are not alone, that we are there to help. Members and volunteers of all ages, I am proud of all we do in Christ’s name to alleviate suffering, proud of your dedication and attainments as we work together to help the poor and the sick. Fra’ Matthew Festing ■ Malteser International health worker tends a small patient in Haiti Order of Malta is committed Grand Master addresses the diplomatic corps to aid for the long term We, the Order of Malta, are Villa in Rome, Fra’ Matthew Festing there for the long term,” emphasised that the Order’s diversity declared Grand Master Fra’ of projects has led to a build-up of In 2010, Cooperation Agreements M“atthew Festing in his annual address expertise in specialised areas – between the Order of Malta to the Ambassadors accredited to the expertise being put to great use as and other States to pursue Sovereign Order of Malta on 11 work proceeds. As well as the long humanitarian programmes were January . Fra’ Matthew Festing opened stages of reconstruction, he noted in signed with: Czech Republic, Italy, his remarks by thanking the Dean of particular the training of civilians in Hungary, Community of the Ambassadors, HE Alejandro crisis prevention, the extensive Portuguese Language Countries, Valladares Lanza of the Honduras, for projects for hygiene instruction in the Russian Federation. his courteous words on behalf of the third world, and the latest diplomatic corps. The Grand Master developments in the care of dementia made a strong appeal for the end to sufferers. Fra’ Matthew Festing violence against Christians around the emphasised the value in applying world. knowledge gained from past activities In choosing to describe the Order’s around the world to future projects. work in Haiti and in Pakistan from His Highness thanked the among many projects, His Highness ambassadors for the support and underlined the need for consistency in confident relations the Order of Malta support teams: after the emergency enjoys with their countries. ■ phase, the rebuilding of broken societies is a vital process which takes time. For the full text, see: Speaking from the Order’s Magistral www.orderofmalta.org ■ Santa Maria in Aventino during the Audience. Above: the Grand Master greets the Dean of Ambassadors The Order of Malta 2 Feb 2011 Joy as the Order’s Patron becomes Cardinal n a moving ceremony at the interests of the Order and its members I Basilica of St.Peter’s on 20 and its relations with the Holy See. November 2010, Pope His Eminence is also a Bailiff Grand Benedict XVI created as Cardinal Cross of Honour and Devotion of the Archbishop Paolo Sardi, Patron of the Order of Malta. ■ Sovereign Military Order of Malta. His Eminence was appointed Patron of the Order in 2009, on the death of Cardinal Pio Laghi, who had served the Order in this role for many years. Ordained a priest on 29 June 1958, after a licentiate in theology, His Eminence graduated in canon law and jurisprudence at the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan. He taught moral theology in Turin until 1976, when he was called to the Vatican to work in the Secretariat of State. Cardinal Sardi is the Vice Chamberlain of the Holy Roman Church, and since 1996 has been Apostolic Nuncio with special responsibilities - and now also Cardinal Patronus of the Order. He has the task of promoting the spiritual ■ Pope Benedict XVI creates Paolo Sardi as Cardinal. Above: Cardinal Sardi with Fra’ Matthew Festing (Continues from p. 1) with chlorine solutions, cleaning and rehabilitating the waste water systems, and distributing water treatment tabs. Additionally, the teams are providing early detection and referrals. Early diagnoses mean the possibility of rapid transfers to specialised hospitals. The disease can kill in as short a time as four hours, so delays in getting patients to treatment centres are fatal. Grand Hospitaller Albrecht von Boeselager emphasises the Order’s commitment to helping these most disadvantaged people: “We do not waver,” he told participants at the Order’s Conference on Haiti in 2010. ■ The Prosthetics Workshop at the Sacré Coeur Hospital, rehabilitates earthquake victims The Order of Malta 3 Feb 2011 Visits abroad: challenging works reveal ever greater need for health care Each year the Grand Master visits works of the Order in many countries and makes a number of official visits to different States. 2010 was no exception. n February, in official visits I to the Democratic Republic of Congo and Kenya, Fra’ Matthew Festing met with senior government figures and saw many projects the Order runs in these countries. A special focus: his visit to the Rwanda border to inspect social- health activities run since 1996 by Malteser International, the Order’s international relief service, and learn of the living conditions of the population who have suffered repeated aggression in recent years and whose security is threatened daily. The Grand Master also inaugurated the renovated ■ In Portugal with President Cavaco Silva wing of the general hospital on Idjwj, the world’s largest lake island. Its the establishment of official relations population of 200,000 has great between Canada and the Order of difficulty gaining access to health care Malta in June 2008. It was an occasion services. The work was implemented to exchange views with Canadian by the Order of Malta’s Belgian officials on international development Association with the contribution of issues. In October in Poland, Fra’ the Belgian government. Matthew Festing visited a number of In Nairobi, after talks with President charitable projects run by the Polish Kibaki and government members, Fra’ Association. Matthew Festing visited the city’s November: the Grand Master visited shanty towns, where 600,000 people the Malteser-Hospitaldienst Austria ■ In the Democratic Republic of the Congo live in poor sanitary conditions and centre in Vienna. He was also where teams from Malteser welcomed by President Heinz Fischer, (CPLP) the CPLP Executive Secretary International offer diagnosis and who recalled his State visit to the Domingos Simoes Pereira and the treatment of TB and HIV/AIDS. The Order in 2006 and thanked the Order Grand Chancellor Jean-Pierre Mazery aid programme trains local staff in the for the many aid activities they signed a Cooperation Agreement to health centres, sets up laboratories undertake in Austria. train medical personnel and provide and provides hygiene information for On his November State visit to medical and emergency aid in the slum dwellers. Through Malteser Portugal the Grand Master Fra’ poorest areas of Portuguese speaking International, headquartered in Matthew Festing was received in countries. Nairobi, the Order has medical and Lisbon by the President of the Fra’ Matthew Festing inaugurated a humanitarian programmes in Kenya, Republic, Anibal Cavaco Silva, and new outpatients’ unit, run by the Darfur, Southern Sudan, East Congo met in talks with the country’s political Portuguese Association, in the Ordem and Uganda. and religious leaders. At the Terceira de S. San Francisco da Cicade In midyear, the Grand Master made headquarters of the Community of Hospital and inspected the childrens’ his first official visit to Canada since Portuguese Language Countries centre, Centro Social Menino de Deus.