Friar Marco Luzzago will be the leader of the Order of Malta, after being elected as the Lieutenant of the Grand Master.
The Magistral Palace, one of the two institutional seats of the Order of Malta in Rome, hosted the meeting of the Council Complete of State, the institution's electoral body.
After receiving a majority of votes, the new lieutenant was sworn in by Card. Silvano Maria Tomasi, the pontifical delegate before the Order of Malta.
“I cannot hide my great excitement. The Holy Spirit has turned its gaze on me. Thank you for trusting me.”
Friar Marco Luzzago, a relative of Pope Paul VI, will have the same authority as the Grand Master and will remain in charge for one year. Before the end of that period, he must convoke the Council Complete of State to elect a Grand Master.
One of his responsibilities will be to move forward with the reform process of the Order of Malta to strengthen the spiritual aspect of the institution and avoid new periods of crisis.
The electoral process has respected the safety measures in place because of the coronavirus.
When the voting concluded, the results were relayed to Pope Francis and to the 110 states that hold diplomatic relations with the Sovereign Order of Malta.
