The Sovereign Order of Malta announced today “with profound regret” that its grand master, Fra’ Giacomo Dalla Torre del Tempio di Sanguinetto, 75, died just after midnight on April 29 in Rome from an incurable disease that had been diagnosed some months ago.
He has led the 1,000-year-old sovereign order since his election as its 80th prince and grand master on May 2, 2018. That election ended a turbulent period in the history of the order following an institutional crisis that caused deep internal fractures and a confrontation with the Holy See in 2016 through 2017. Under his leadership, the process of the spiritual renewal of the order, desired and encouraged by Pope Francis, was carried forward as was the revision of its constitution.
“Fra’ Giacomo was much liked by Pope Francis,” a source in Rome who knew him well but wished to remain anonymous told America.
Fra’ Giacomo led the 1,000-year-old sovereign order following an institutional crisis that caused deep internal fractures and a confrontation with the Holy See.
According to a press release from the order announcing his death also stated that according to Article 17 of the S.O.M.’s constitution, “the Grand Commander Fra’ Ruy Gonçalo do Valle Peixoto de Villas Boas has assumed the functions of Lieutenant ad interim and will remain head of the Sovereign Order until the election of the new Grand Master.”
Pope Francis sent a telegram of condolence to the lieutenant ad interim. “I wish to express my heartfelt condolences to the whole order” at the death of the Grand Master. “I remember the total fidelity to Christ and to the Gospel of this ever so zealous man of culture and of faith, together with his generous commitment in the exercise of his office with a spirit of service for the good of the church, as well as his dedication to those who are suffering the most.
“As I participate in your communal suffering,” the pope said, “I raise prayers of suffrage and I invoke the Divine Goodness for his soul and eternal peace.” Francis then imparted his blessing to the leadership of the SMOM and the family members of the grand master.
Fra’ Giacomo was born in Rome on Dec. 9, 1944, and graduated in literature and philosophy from the Sapienza University of Rome, specializing in Christian archaeology and art history. He held academic positions at the Pontifical Urbaniana University, where he taught classical Greek, and also served as its chief librarian and archivist. He published a range of academic articles and essays on aspects of medieval art history.
The Sovereign Order of Malta described its deceased leader as “a man of great spirituality and human warmth,” who “always personally assisted the disadvantaged.”
He was admitted to the Sovereign Order of Malta in 1985 as a knight of honor and devotion and took his solemn vows in 1993. He subsequently served as grand prior of Lombardy and Venice from 1994 though 1999 and was a member of the sovereign council from 1999 through 2004. He was elected grand commander at the chapter general of 2004 and on the death of the 78th grand master, Fra’ Andrew Bertie, in February 2008, he became lieutenant ad interim.
Fra’ Giacomo Dalla Torre held the position of grand prior of Rome from 2008 through 2017. Then in a period of great turbulence in the order, following the resignation of the 79th grand master, Fra’ Matthew Festing, the Council Complete of State, the order’s governing body, in April 2017 elected him lieutenant of the grand master for a year.
A year later, the council elected him as the 80th prince and grand master.
In its press release, the Sovereign Order of Malta described its deceased leader as “a man of great spirituality and human warmth,” who “always personally assisted the disadvantaged, serving meals to rough sleepers in the Termini and Tiburtina railways stations in Rome.” It recalled that during his life he participated in many of the order’s international pilgrimages to Lourdes and in national ones to Loreto and Assisi. It also recalled the “great joy” with which he participated in the order’s international summer camps for young disabled people.
The S.O.M.’s ambassador to the Holy See, Antonio Zanardi Landi, told Vatican News that Fra’ Giacomo “was a man of union, a man of dialogue” and was “much loved by all.” Moreover, “he felt he was a man of the Holy See and interpreted his function as that of being a bridge between the Order of Malta and the Holy See,” the ambassador said. He recalled that Fra’ Giacomo’s grandfather was editor of L’Osservatore Romano, the Vatican daily, for 40 years, and his brother was president of the Vatican Tribunal and also rector of the Libera Università Maria SS. Assunta in Rome.
As grand master, it said, Fra’ Giacomo carried out numerous official and state journeys. Last January, he made a state visit to Benin and in July 2019 to Cameroon. More recently he traveled to Germany, Slovenia and Bulgaria for meetings with their respective authorities. The press statement recalled how during these journeys “he always made a point of visiting the Order’s social-health facilities to greet personally both the staff and the patients.”
The Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta, was founded in Jerusalem around the year 1048 and is both a primary subject of international law and a Catholic religious and lay order. The order’s mission is to bear witness to the faith and assist the poor and sick.
Today the Order of Malta is mainly active in health care, social services and humanitarian aid, operating in over 120 countries. Its 13,500 members are supported by 80,000 volunteers, with another 42,000 doctors, nurses and paramedics. The order manages hospitals, health care clinics, out-patient units, institutes for the elderly and disabled, terminal patient centers and volunteer corps.
Malteser International, the Order of Malta’s special relief agency, is always on the front line in natural disasters and to alleviate the consequences of armed conflicts. The order is currently engaged in the countries bordering Syria and Iraq to provide aid for the population fleeing from violence there.
Alongside the Italian units, the Order of Malta’s Italian Relief Corps participates in first aid operations for the boats loaded with migrants in the Strait of Sicily.
The Order of Malta is neutral, impartial and apolitical. It has bilateral diplomatic relations with 110 states, official relations with another six states and relations at ambassadorial level with the European Union. It is a permanent observer to the United Nations and its specialized agencies, and the order has representatives at major international organizations. Since 1834, the seat of the Order of Malta’s government has been in Rome, where it is guaranteed extraterritorial rights.
