KNIGHTS OF MALTA CELEBRATE 900 YEARS OF ACTIVITY

VATICAN CITY, JUN 24, 1999 (VIS) - Today, feast of St. John the Baptist, patron of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, the Holy Father addressed 2,000 knights who had come from all over the world for a Eucharistic celebration in St. Peter's Basilica, after which they gathered in the square for a papal blessing.

The Pope was speaking from his study window overlooking St. Peter's Square. He referred to the order's 900 years of activity, and said that the Knights of Malta "offer the world a faithful witness to their own motto 'Tuitio fidei obsequium pauperum', which corresponds to the Gospel command to 'love God and love thy neighbor'. ... To this end, you feel committed to translate into deeds the fidelity to Christ through a witness in love, ... especially towards the poorest."

"Your presence at the side of those who are ill, suffering, victims of earthquakes, or refugees is a valid witness to this love for the least privileged. That qualifies your religious and sovereign order as a valid structure which bears the immense burden of human suffering."

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