No. That seems to be a frequent error of many, however.
Their headquarters – since the second quarter of the 19th century – is in Rome, divided between their palace at the bottom of the Spanish Steps, near Propaganda Fide, and their Villa on the Aventine, right across the piazza from Sant’ Anselmo.
If you are not a member and are not even familiar with its most basic elements, why are you alarmed and even more, why have an attitude such as “if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it”…since you don’t even know the problems, the potential solutions, and they do not concern you or your life?
In fact, the Order has been undergoing reforms in varying degrees since its relocation to Rome in the 19th century through to its new constitutions completed in 1961 and approved by Pope Saint John XXIII. They have all been for the better, actually.
In fact the present reform and the renewal is quite needed…and has been growing more urgent across the past few decades And they were foreseen for years, growing more urgent in the pontificates of both John Paul II and Benedict XVI.
And it is properly the concern of the head of the Order, the governing bodies, and the membership…as well as the Holy Father, and the Holy See for those matters that pertain to their jurisdiction, such as those members who are, canonically, vowed Religious.
For the last election, there were only 12 eligible candidates available, because of the nobility requirements, to be elected as Grand Master by 56 eligible electors out of more than 13,000 Knights and Dames…and one of the 12, I might add, was 98 years old.
We do not have a surplus of Catholic nobility – whose nobility can be traced back a requisite number of generations – taking on this vocation in the Order of Malta or indeed in general as in centuries past; at the level of governance we are discussing for the Order, the Knight of a suitable family of nobility requires the profession of the vows of a Religious
The Order does tremendous good throughout the world and has diplomatic relations with over 100 nations…but it is in need of updating for realities of the 21st century and the Knight elected, an Italian, is well placed to see it to fruition.
This isn’t the 19th century…and that century is receding more and more as the years pass. It is not coming back.
