On 10 July, the Order’s Grand Master, Fra’ Andrew Bertie, attended the state funeral of the Austrian President Thomas Klestil in St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna.

His Highness met the new Austrian President Heinz Fischer and had brief talks with some of the twenty and more heads of state present.

The following day the Grand Master met the Grand Prior and some members of the Order’s Grand Priory of Austria during Sunday mass.

The Order’s delegation included the Secretary General for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Quaroni, and the Order’s Ambassador to Austria, Gioacchino Malfatti.