{"id":3390,"date":"2026-01-10T10:20:32","date_gmt":"2026-01-10T15:20:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/unmissionny.orderofmalta.int\/?post_type=news&p=3390"},"modified":"2026-01-12T10:24:08","modified_gmt":"2026-01-12T15:24:08","slug":"audience-of-grand-master-with-diplomatic-corps-accredited-to-order-of-malta","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/unmissionny.orderofmalta.int\/en\/news\/audience-of-grand-master-with-diplomatic-corps-accredited-to-order-of-malta\/","title":{"rendered":"Audience of Grand Master with Diplomatic Corps accredited to Order of Malta"},"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","class_list":["post-3390","news","type-news","status-publish","hentry","news_categories-delegation-and-staff","news_categories-news","news_categories-statements"],"acf":{"hidden_news":"no","evidence":"yes","focus_on":"no","breaking":"yes","cover_image_copyrighted":false,"news_content":"

Rome, 10 January 2026<\/em>\u00a0\u2013 This morning at the Villa Magistrale in Rome,\u00a0Grand Master Fra\u2019 John Dunlap\u2019s\u00a0traditional\u00a0new-year\u00a0audience\u00a0with\u00a0the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Sovereign Order of Malta\u00a0focussed on\u00a0its\u00a0diplomatic and humanitarian mission\u00a0from an increasingly global perspective.<\/p>\n

Starting from the year just\u00a0ended\u00a0\u201cof exceptional\u00a0intensity, marked both by the spiritual significance of the Holy Year and by a\u00a0momentous\u00a0transition in the life of the Holy See\u201d with \u201cthe passing of His Holiness Pope Francis and the subsequent election of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV,\u201d the Grand Master recalled how \u201cthese events\u00a0have\u00a0profoundly\u00a0resonated\u00a0across\u00a0both the life of the\u00a0Universal Church and the\u00a0broader\u00a0international community.\u201d\u00a0Retracing the important milestones of diplomatic activity in 2025\u00a0involving\u00a0every continent\u00a0–\u00a0also highlighted in the speech by\u00a0Cameroon\u2019s Ambassador Antoine Zanga,\u00a0Dean of the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Sovereign Order of Malta –\u00a0the Grand Master outlined a clear programmatic\u00a0approach\u00a0for 2026.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cLatin America\u00a0remains a region of paramount to the Order\u2019s\u00a0history\u00a0and our historic\u00a0engagement with\u00a0the region,\u00a0established\u00a0in the post-war\u00a0era,\u00a0is\u00a0underpinned by\u00a0the\u00a0enduring\u00a0social contributions\u00a0of\u00a0our\u00a0national associations.\u201d Fra\u2019 John Dunlap then announced\u00a0that\u00a0a regional conference\u00a0is\u00a0scheduled for next\u00a0autumn\u00a0in Buenos Aires, followed by a series of official visits to South America.\u00a0\u201cAfrica remains a\u00a0paramount\u00a0priority,\u00a0receiving substantial investment\u00a0through\u00a0from\u00a0the specialised\u00a0programmes of Ordre de Malte France and Malteser International,\u201d humanitarian entities of the Order\u00a0operating\u00a0on the continent where the Order of Malta\u00a0enjoys\u00a0diplomatic relations with 39 countries.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The crises in the Middle East and Ukraine remain\u00a0the Order of Malta\u2019s major\u00a0concerns.\u00a0In the Holy Land, the position\u00a0remains\u00a0firm: condemnation of the October 7 attacks, release of the hostages and respect\u00a0of\u00a0international humanitarian law. \u201cLooking\u00a0towards the future, the Order is committed to participating in international reconstruction efforts\u00a0\u2013\u00a0specifically\u00a0those\u00a0led\u00a0by Egypt, the Palestinian Authority, and other partners\u00a0\u2013\u00a0with\u00a0a particular focus on addressing\u00a0the\u00a0acute\u00a0health and educational needs of orphaned and malnourished children,\u201d said Fra\u2019 John Dunlap. And on Ukraine: \u201cThe destruction of homes, hospitals, schools, and energy facilities is unacceptable. Ensuring humanitarian access, supporting reconstruction, and achieving a sustained cessation of hostilities must be treated as immediate priorities, alongside diplomatic efforts aimed at navigating the complex path towards a just and lasting peace. In this context, the Order stands ready, should it be\u00a0deemed\u00a0useful, to make its resources available in support of initiatives conducive to dialogue, in a spirit of humanity and in full respect of its principles of neutrality and impartiality\u201d.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Recalling that \u201cthe diplomatic action of the Order must always be viewed in close conjunction with its humanitarian presence on the ground,\u00a0an engagement carefully adapted to the specific needs of each context, whether in highly developed economies or in regions confronting severe humanitarian crises,\u201d\u202fthe Grand Master concluded by indicating that\u202f\u201cthe scope of our diplomatic engagement, the courageous humanitarian action undertaken by the Order in some of the most acute crises of our time-\u00a0particularly in Palestine, Lebanon, and Ukraine\u00a0–\u00a0and the steady expansion of our diplomatic relations all converge towards the same conclusion: the Order of Malta is assuming an increasingly global role.\u201d<\/p>\n

You can consult the full text of the\u00a0speech of the 81st\u00a0Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta to the\u00a0accredited\u00a0Diplomatic Corps\u00a0in this link<\/a>.<\/p>\n","news_gallery":"yes","news_cover":{"id":3394,"url":"https:\/\/unmissionny.orderofmalta.int\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2026\/01\/picture-3-news.jpg"},"news_gallery_elements":[{"id":3393,"url":"https:\/\/unmissionny.orderofmalta.int\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2026\/01\/Picture-1-news.jpg"},{"id":3392,"url":"https:\/\/unmissionny.orderofmalta.int\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2026\/01\/news-picture-2.jpg"}]},"news_categories":[{"id":20,"name":"Delegation and Staff","slug":"delegation-and-staff","description":"","link":"https:\/\/unmissionny.orderofmalta.int\/en\/news-categories\/delegation-and-staff\/"},{"id":21,"name":"News","slug":"news","description":"","link":"https:\/\/unmissionny.orderofmalta.int\/en\/news-categories\/news\/"},{"id":16,"name":"Statements","slug":"statements","description":"","link":"https:\/\/unmissionny.orderofmalta.int\/en\/news-categories\/statements\/"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unmissionny.orderofmalta.int\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/notizie\/3390","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/unmissionny.orderofmalta.int\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/notizie"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/unmissionny.orderofmalta.int\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/unmissionny.orderofmalta.int\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/notizie\/3390\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unmissionny.orderofmalta.int\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3390"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}