Rome-Monaco, 22 April 2025 – Grand Master Fra’ John T. Dunlap – on an official visit to Monaco since yesterday, where he heard the sad news of the Holy Father’s passing – met today with Prince Albert II. The focus of the meeting with the Monegasque authorities was the shared international vision based on multilateral cooperation, humanitarian diplomacy and protection of the most vulnerable, in particular through joint efforts for an international humanitarian law and triangular cooperation in Africa and the Middle East.

Both of them addressed a prayer and an emotional tribute to Pope Francis who “with his testimony of faith, his dedication to the last and his unceasing appeal for mercy and peace has profoundly marked our era and will continue to illuminate the path of the Church”, as recalled by Grand Master Fra’ John Dunlap.

The visit marks the 15th anniversary of the elevation of the Order and the Principality’s diplomatic relations to the rank of Embassy. “The presence of the Order in Monaco, with an embassy and a national association, is not only confirmation of this long-standing friendship, but also the tangible sign that the Order sees the Principality as an ideal partner, driven by the same values,” said the Grand Master.

Several members of the Grimaldi family have been Knights of the Order of Malta: Prince Albert II himself has been a Knight of the Order since 1989, while Princess Charlène, to whom the insignia of Dame of Grand Cross of Honour and Devotion was presented this morning, will receive her investiture at an upcoming solemn ceremony in Rome.

During the meeting, particular emphasis was placed on the humanitarian collaboration between the Principality of Monaco and the Order, developed in over thirteen years of support for healthcare projects in Senegal and Lebanon. The Grand Master expressed the hope that this collaboration would continue, also because of the serious humanitarian crises and conflicts underway in various parts of the world: “In line with the Christian values of solidarity, social justice and respect for human dignity, Monaco and the Order of Malta are faithful to their mission of assisting people in need and supporting any initiative that can lead to a just and lasting peace,” said Fra’ John Dunlap.

The Grand Master also met with the Archbishop of Monaco, Msgr. Dominique-Marie David, and visited yesterday the Cardio-Thoracic Centre. Established thanks to the support of Prince Rainier III and the Monegasque authorities, the centre has a modern structure at the service of patients and a medical team of international renown, a point of reference in cardiovascular medicine. In collaboration with the Centre, the Order of Malta’s Monaco association has been supporting cardiac surgery for children in developing countries since 2011.

During the official visit, the Grand Chancellor of the Order of Malta, Riccardo Paternò di Montecupo, met with Isabelle Rosabrunetto, Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of the Principality. She expressed her appreciation for the excellent collaboration and funding of the Order’s projects, including health centres in Senegal and Lebanon and – more recently – the Holy Family Hospital in Bethlehem. In her presence, a cooperation agreement was signed between the Saint Camille hospital of Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso, the Order’s Monaco Association, the Government of the Principality of Monaco, the Burkina Faso Red Cross and the Monaco Red Cross, for the launch of a project dedicated to the implantation of hip prostheses in economically vulnerable patients, affected by necrosis of the femur due to sickle-cell anaemia, in Burkina Faso.