POPE BENEDICT RECEIVES GRAND MASTER OF THE ORDER OF MALTA

At the Vatican, Pope Benedict XVI on Monday received the Grand Master of the Order of Malta, Fra’ Matthew Festing, accompanied by the Order’s Sovereign Council. The traditional audience took place on the occasion of the Feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, the patron of the Order.

The chief work of the Order of Malta involves humanitarian assistance and medical and social activities. In many countries, the Order’s volunteer corps provide social services as well as first aid and emergency medical services.