The Knights of Malta, one of the oldest Catholic orders, is due Saturday to elect a new leader after the resignation of former Grand Master Matthew Festing, triggered by a bitter row with Pope Francis.
Festing was forced out by Francis in January after he resisted a papal inquiry into the Grand Master’s dismissal of a senior deputy over the distribution of condoms in Myanmar. The move was controversial as Catholics are opposed to artificial birth control.
Some 56 senior knights were set to hold closed-door voting sessions on the Aventine Hill, one of Rome’s most scenic spots, in a grand
villa famous for offering a view of St Peter’s Basilica from the keyhole of its gate.
In a sign of lingering tensions with the Vatican, Festing has ignored a request from the papal delegate who is temporarily running the order to stay away from Rome during the election process, because his presence “would reopen wounds.”
Rome (dpa)
