Pope Francis has named Friar John Dunlap the new Grand Master of the Order of Malta, in a letter dated last Monday, June 13
Newsroom (June 14, 2022, 3:50 PM, Gaudium Press) Pope Francis has appointed Fra John Dunlap to assume the position of Lieutenant Grand Master of the Sovereign Order of Malta. Fra Dunlap will replace Fra Marco Luzzago, who died last June 7.
In his letter, the Pope says that the unexpected death of Fra Marco Luzzago, just a few months before the extraordinary General Chapter, “leads the Order of Malta to live a new moment of confusion and uncertainty.”
Appointment and prompt intervention
The Pope further explained that the new Grand Master will work closely with the special delegate (from the Vatican) to prepare for the extraordinary General Chapter.”
The Order of Malta is grateful for the fatherly solicitude of Francis who shows with the appointment his desire to speed up the constitutional reform of the Order.
The Pope’s decision with the appointment arouses criticism for the speed of the decision and the intervention itself.
In fact, the constitution of the Sovereign Order of Malta provides that the members of the Order have the autonomy to elect the Grand Master of the Order without requiring the intervention of the Vatican.
John Dunlap: academic and professional background
John T. Dunlap was born in Ottawa, Canada, in 1957. He studied at the University of Nice and is a graduate of the University of Ottawa. He received a Juris Doctor from the University of Western Ontario and also received an honorary doctorate from John Cabot University in Rome for Public Service.
He is a member of the New York State Bar Association. In 1986, he joined the law firm of Dunnington, Bartholow & Miller, where he became an associate in 1993.
A specialist in business law and immigration law, Friar John Dunlap has been legal counsel to the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations since 1997.
Joining the Order of Malta
John Dunlap entered the Order of Malta in 1996. He professed temporary vows as a Knight of Justice in 2004. In 2008, he took his solemn vows becoming the first American member of the Order.
In 2009, Friar John Dunlap was elected a member of the Sovereign Council for a period of five years, after which the General Chapter re-elected him for another five years.
John Dunlap will take his oath this Tuesday, June 14, in the Church of Santa Maria in Aventino before Cardinal Silvano Maria Tomasi. The ceremony will take place after the solemn funeral of Friar Marco Luzzago. (FM)
Compiled by Zephania Gangl
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