Pope Mourns Fra Bertie, Grand Master of the Order of Malta

(08 Feb 08 - RV) Pope Benedict XVI has expressed his sincere condolences to the Order of Malta on learning of the death of Grand Master Fra Andrew Bertie.

In a telegram sent to the Lieutenant ad interim, the Holy Father described the Fra Bertie as a man of great culture and generosity and as a shining example of the evangelical principle of love.

Fra Bertie died Thursday night in Rome. He was 78 years of age.

“Our aim is to help the poor and the sick, that is and always has been our primary aim”.

That was the bottom line for Andrew Willoughby Ninian Bertie, Prince and Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Hospitallier Order of St. John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta. Fra Bertie as he preferred to be called, was the 78^th Grand Master of the Order of Malta, one of the oldest chivalry orders of the Catholic Church, which dates back to the 11th century when a group of knights founded a hospital in the Holy City of Jerusalem just before the first Crusades:

“The other military orders were there to fight the Saracens and to save Spain or the Holy Land or Prussia from the pagans. But we always had this special commitment to the poor and the sick. Our aims today are exactly the same as they were in 1099, the sanctification of our members through service to the sick”.

Born in 1929 in London to an aristocratic family, Fra Bertie was educated at the Benedictine School, Ampleforth College, in Yorkshire. He went on to study Modern History at Christ Church, Oxford, and had a particular love for Africa and the Orient. Admitted to the Sovereign Military Order of Malta in 1956; he took the vows of “poverty, chastity and obedience” in 1981 becoming a full religious member. In April 1988 he was elected Grand Master and subsequently became the Hospitaller of the Sanctuary of Lourdes.

“He was a very calm and pious man with very sound judgement”

Albrect Boeselager is Grand Hospitaller of the Order recalls Fra Bertie:

“We really have lost a leader who knew and supported all of the works of the Order worldwide. He travelled a lot, he knew the Order well, I can say he was loved by all members and volunteers of the order”.

Fra Bertie a consummate linguist, oversaw many changes in the Order, modernising its centuries old approach to humanitarian programmes, increasing its membership and diplomatic missions, with an emphasis on afflicted countries in times of natural disasters or civil conflicts. Though a British native his home had become a simple farm in Malta, where he would retire for rest to tend his orange groves and teach judo courses to local children.

The Grand Commander of the Order, Fra Giacomo dellas Torre del Tempio di Sanguinetto, has been sworn in as Lieutenant ad interim, until a new Grand Master is elected: Hear more: