Federal Association Spirituality and Defense of Faith Committees Reflect on Pope Leo XIV's Message to the Order of Malta

On June 24, 2025, the Solemnity of the Birth of our Patron Saint John the Baptist, Pope Leo XIV received in audience His Eminence and Prince the Grand Master John Dunlap, the High Charges, and the Sovereign Council. The Defense of Faith and Spirituality Committees would like to highlight several important themes contained in the Holy Father’s address.

The Charism of the Order

The Pope celebrated the purpose of our Order. He pointed out that the Order “has as its purpose the tuitio fidei and the obsequium pauperum.” Two aspects of a single charism: the faith that is propagated and protected in loving dedication to the poor, the marginalized, all those who are in need of support.” The Holy Father advises us to love others by “placing ourselves at the level of those who receive it.” In this way we can imitate Jesus who took on our humanity in all things but sin to love us and save us. If we put ourselves at the level of those we serve we are loving them, and we receive love which “returns to us in gratitude, made not of humiliation, but of joy.” By doing this we express our love and devotion to Jesus.

Loving service is a substantial way of proclaiming our faith thus engaging in tuitio fidei. The Holy Father does not shy away from instructing us in how to gird ourselves to protect the faith. He takes up the call of St. Paul his letter to the Ephesians to “wear the armor of God to resist the devil’s schemes; to gird one’s loins with the truth; to grasp the shield of faith; to take up…the word of God” (cf. Eph. 6:11—18). Pope Leo is not calling us to physical battle. No. He is proposing that we rely on the truth and our faith so that we will be certain and steadfast in our service, activities, and spirituality.

The Renewal of the Order

Pope Leo gave us guidance on how to move forward with the work of renewal of the Order. He noted the most important aspect of renewal is that it be “interior, spiritual, because this gives meaning to the changes of the rules.” We should learn and understand the new rules and norms in the context of the need for continual and ongoing formation.

The renewal of the Order is only in its early stages. One way to think about this is to consider what true formation means for us as members. There is the formation that occurs as candidates; but formation cannot end there. Formation is a constant process. As Leo put it renewal (and like it formation) “requires the conversion of the heart, a lifelong task for each one of us.”

Pope Leo, on February 11, 2024, while still Cardinal Prevost, was admitted to our Order as Bailiff Grand Cross of Honor and Devotion. As a member he is keenly aware of our classes of Knights and Dames, and his remarks call attention to all three Classes. Connecting the renewal of the Order with the formation we just highlighted, the Holy Father indicates that if the First Class does not “undertake this journey of conversion which, difficult and demanding though it may be…it cannot be expected that the Second and Third Classes accomplish it, in accordance with their condition.” Leo is more specific: “formation does not concern only the First Class, but also, with different methods, the Second and Third Class.” In a way that befits our nature as a lay religious order Pope Leo calls all of us to focus on both liturgical and personal prayer as well as silence as means of pursuing our formation.

Beware Secularization

As we know the renewal’s strong foundation is the Order’s religious character. As Pope Francis told the then Cardinal Patronus the Order of Malta is a religious order, not a non-governmental organization. Pope Leo wisely echoed this in his address. “Do not limit yourselves to meeting the needs of the poor, but announce to them God’s love with the word and witness. If this were lacking, the Order would lose its religious nature and would be reduced to being a philanthropic organization.”

Renewal and formation are critical to staying grounded in our charism and avoiding a secularization that could lead to two wrongful ends. One would be an abandonment of our religious nature which the Holy Father says is “given and guaranteed by members of the First Class, but whose charismatic strength is also shared by the Second and Third Class to different degrees.” The second would be a temptation to use methods inconsistent with the teaching and guidance of the Church thereby confusing these methods with the goals of tuitio fidei and obsequiem pauperum. To achieve these good ends, says the Pope, “the means must be good.” We cannot simply do what is expedient or requested by others who do not recognize the demands and truth of our faith. If we cannot perform a particular service in a way that conforms to our nature as a religious order we cannot engage in that service.

The Centrality of Christ

All of these reflections lead to what is an emerging overall theme of our new Pope. In his various comments the Holy Father is emphasizing the most important responsibility of not just members of the Order but all Christians -- fidelity to the Gospel and faith in the risen Lord. This theme resounds throughout Leo’s discussion of our charism, the correct grounding of renewal and formation, and what is required to avoid secularization of the Order. Pope Leo describes tuitio fidei as transmitting “faith in God as love offering the experience of his closeness.” He notes that the renewal seeks “greater fidelity to the Gospel.” In his warning on secularization he asks us to “continually embrace what Jesus taught”; we must be “inspired by the evangelical radicalism that is proper to a religious order.” 

As was proper on the Solemnity honoring John the Baptist Pope Leo draws our attention to John who “ever since his birth, fulfilled the mission he received from God to be the herald of Jesus.” Our Patron Saint gave “his life in the affirmation of the truth, [becoming] a witness to Jesus, who is the truth.” The Holy Father requests that John “illuminate your life and mission, which you are called to fulfil in the Church by the action of the Holy Spirit.”  

Our charism is a means to the end we seek in the Order. Not to emphasize ourselves but rather to seek sanctification and look to imitate Christ. It is Jesus Christ who is the way, the truth, and the life. Pope Leo XIV wants Christ and his Gospel to be readily apparent in what we do, why we do it, and what we say. Only in this way will we properly defend the faith and serve the poor and the sick.

For the full text of Pope Leo XIV's message to the Order of Malta, please click here.