(S.M.) La lettre des treize présidents nationaux de l’Ordre de Malte envoyée au Pape pour qu’il arrête la réforme voulue par lui, une lettre rendue publique il y a trois jours par Settimo Cielo, a jeté de l’huile sur le feu du conflit interne à l’ordre.
Ce qui a le plus irrité a été l’affirmation des signataires de la lettre de représenter « 90% de l’œuvre effectuée par l’Ordre dans le monde ».
En effet, parmi les associations nationales qui ont signé la lettre au Pape, il manque l’association Italienne et des États-Unis, qui à elles seules comptent environ 7.000 chevaliers et dames sur un total de 13.000, soit 60% des membres de l’Ordre.
En outre, certains font remarquer que l’Italie a un poids important notamment dans toute la vie administrative de l’Ordre, qui reposerait précisément sur les rentes issues du patrimoine italien.
De leur côté, les signataires de la lettre objectent vouloir représenter non pas tant les membres ou le patrimoine de l’Ordre mais les opérateurs de terrain à son service, qu’ils soient volontaires ou employés, qui sont en effet plus nombreux dans des pays comme l’Allemagne, la France, la Hongrie ou la Grande Bretagne, comme on peut le voir dans le graphique publié par Settimo Cielo avec la lettre.
Dans tous les cas, les questions soulevées dans la lettre au Pape ne concerne pas les nombres mais le fond puisqu’elles visent les critères qui ont inspiré la nouvelle constitution de l’Ordre de Malte, comme le prouvent les deux lettres suivantes publiées ci-dessous dans leur langue originale.
Dans la première, un membre influent de l’Ordre, l’Allemand Ernst von Freyberg, ancien président de l’IOR, l’Institut pour les Œuvres de Religion, la « banque » du Vatican, incite les membres de l’Ordre à écrire eux aussi au Pape, en s’associant à la demande des treize présidents nationaux d’une profonde réécriture du nouveau projet de constitution.
Dans la seconde, envoyée à Settimo Cielo, un éminent chevalier italien avance des objections à la lettre des treize présidents, sans pour autant se priver de critiquer les principes qui ont inspiré la réforme en chantier.
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Dear Fra’ John [Dunlap], dear Albrecht [von Boeselager], dear Consoeurs, dear Confrères,
In February 2018 most of us met for the International Strategic Seminar on the Constitutional Reform of the Sovereign Order of Malta. More than 140 Knights and Dames from around the world were chosen by the Grand Magistry to represent the members of the Order and to start the Reform of our beloved Order of Malta. I am writing to you today as I chaired Working Group 10 and served as Secretary to the group drafting the Summary Conclusions of the Seminar and presenting them on 11 February 2018 to the full assembly. Enclosed you will find these Summary Conclusions for the Reform as they were agreed then. They express the intentions of the group of representative members of the Order of Malta assembled in 2018 for the course of the Reform.
Since the 2018 Seminar the reform process has been pursued without a representative group of the members of our Order and on a route completely different from the one set out in the Summary Conclusions in 2018. We are now confronted with a Constitution drafted outside the Order and having at its core the direct or indirect transfer of the responsibilities and powers of the appr. 13.000 lay members and the National Associations to the Professed, a small group of around 40 men. While these 40 men are promoted to be the “nucleo essenziale” dell’Ordine (Art.9) the bulk of the lay members (Third Class – appr. 13.000) are demoted to associated “fedeli laici” (Art. 51). The Sovereignty is significantly reduced and transferred to the Holy See (Art. 5). To operate this massive transfer of power the number of articles in the Constitution has tripled to 113 from 37 in today’s Constitution. Enclosed you will find a version of this new draft Constitution circulated recently.
Contrary to all current developments in the Catholic Church this draft Constitution proposes a massive transfer of responsibility from the Lay Members (around 13.000) who work in and lead the Works to the Professed members (around 40). Contrary to our tradition and the reality of our Works, this draft Constitution reduces the vast majority of the Lay Members to associated “fedeli laici”. It brings to mind what Pope Francis said: “Clericalism arises from an elitist and exclusivist vision of vocation, that interprets the ministry received as a power to be exercised rather than as a free and generous service to be given” (Pope Francis’ Address to the Synod Fathers at Opening of Synod 2018 on Young People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment).
A group of 13 Presidents which are responsible for the vast majority of the Works of our beloved Order have written on Friday to the Holy Father. You will find their letter enclosed. The Works are at the core of our Order; since the re-creation of our Order in its present form in the 19th century, all of these Works have been founded and are run by the lay members of our Order. Most recently, their importance for helping the poor and the sick was again evident when the Works of the Order of Malta came from Poland, the Ukraine and around the world to support the war victims.
There are three issues I would like to raise with you:
1. I would like to propose that the reform of the Order is put back into the hands of a representative group of its members. The 2018 Seminar showed that there are many valid observations and opinions for the Reform of our beloved Order. Our experience in 2018 also showed, that discussing and deciding these issues in a group of representatives of all members is possible and a better way for our Order to rise to the challenges of the 21st century.
2. It will be helpful for the leadership of our Order as well as for other members to know your position on the reform process. Would a second International Strategic Seminar on the Constitutional and Spiritual Reform of the Sovereign Order of Malta be the right way forward? This could be the good place to discuss the different drafts put forward over the last two years and add the members prospective.
3. And finally, for those of us whose Presidents have written to the Holy Father: Our Presidents need our support. If you were willing to support the call for restarting the Reform Process, you can write directly to the Holy Father via your President or via smom.pleas.to.the.pope at gmail.com. All those supporting mails will be added to the Letter of the Presidents and given to the Holy Father.
Please feel free to share this mail with fellow members of our beloved Order whom you feel may be interested.
I look forward to hearing from you,
With my best confraternal regards,
Ernst von Freyberg
ernst.freyberg at freymont.de
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Caro Magister,
leggo sempre con molto interesse quanto da lei pubblicato su Settimo Cielo. Nell’ultimo post mi ha lasciato un poco perplesso il titolo. Si tratta della lettera che 13 Presidenti di associazioni nazionali dell’Ordine di Malta (Ordine Religioso Cavalleresco Sovrano e Militare) hanno indirizzato direttamente al Sommo Pontefice, invocando ancora un intervento sulla riforma costituzionale dell’Ordine.
L’Ordine di Malta è rappresentato nel mondo da 48 associazioni nazionali, oltre a 6 Gran Priorati e 5 Sottopriorati. In totale circa 13.500 membri dell’Ordine in tutti i continenti.
Le 13 associazioni nazionali i cui Presidenti hanno inviato la lettera da lei pubblicata, raggruppano circa 3.400 membri dell’Ordine. Da questi numeri la mia perplessità sul titolo “La quasi totalità dell’Ordine di Malta fa appello al Papa…”
Quanto ai contenuti, recentemente in un incontro con il Santo Padre, sembra evidente che la costituzione voluta dall’attuale governo dell’Ordine privilegi le organizzazioni che raccolgono più quattrini rispetto a quelle che contano più membri. Un po’ come se la Compagnia di Gesù fosse dominata dagli americani che permettono a scuole, università e seminari di funzionare.
Va comunque ricordato che oltre l’80 per cento del patrimonio dell’Ordine si trovi in Italia, frutto di donazioni di famiglie patrizie italiane.
Nella lettera si fa poi riferimento al ridotto numero di Professi per giustificare l’opposizione alle ipotesi della commissione della Santa Sede guidata dal Cardinale Tomasi. È evidente che una costituzione deve traguardare il futuro. Se oggi i Professi sono pochi (anche per il blocco della professione dei voti portata avanti dall’attuale governo) sarà necessario un periodo transitorio durante il quale il “drappello” possa rinforzarsi.
La lettera dei 13 Presidenti è stata recentemente seguita da una altra lettera a firma di Ernst von Freyberg, ex presidente dello IOR, indirizzata a un selezionato gruppo di membri dell’Ordine, che chiede a quanti più membri possibile di indirizzare delle mail al Santo Padre per sostenere la richiesta dei 13 presidenti. Allo scopo vengono istituite due caselle di posta su gmail, evidentemente controllate da fedelissimi del governo.
Caro Magister, nell’Ordine molte sono le voci per nulla d’accordo con la riforma proposta dall’interno ma queste voci sono state considerate “divisive” e mai ascoltate all’interno dei gruppi di lavoro istituiti dal governo dell’Ordine.
Speriamo che il Santo Padre supporti fino in fondo il gruppo di lavoro guidato dal Cardinale Tomasi e che si possa giungere in tempi brevi a una nuova costituzione che permetta all’Ordine di operare nel XXI secolo seguendo il suo carisma: “Tuitio fidei et obsequium pauperum”.
Un caro saluto.
Uberto Serlupi Crescenzi
Cavaliere di Onore e Devozione in Obbedienza
15 agosto 2022 in Campo nell’Elba
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Sandro Magister est le vaticaniste émérite de l’hebdomadaire L’Espresso.
Tous les articles de son blog Settimo Cielo sont disponibles sur ce site en langue française.
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