Posted on 02/26/2017 12:30:46 PM PST by ebb tide
“We need to revisit our system of checks and balances, to prevent what has happened from happening again.” Boeselager is sitting in a lounge area of the Order of Malta’s Magistral Palace in Via Condotti, Rome. He speaks calmly of the recent storm, the crisis that has counterposed the Holy See to the now resigned Grand Master Matthew Festing who was supported by Patron Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke. Boeselager had been forced to leave his office by what was intended as an order by the Pope. An order that the Pope had actually never given and that led to the appointment of a Vatican commission. It all ended with Festing’s resignation, the appointment of a Pope’s trusted official - the new Substitute Angelo Becciu - and the return to office of the ousted Chancellor.
You were forced to resign for an issue related to the distribution of condoms in programs involving the Malteser International, the worldwide aid agency of the Order of Malta. Can you recapitulate what happened?
“In 2013, the Malteser International headquarters in Cologne were alerted by members of the Malteser in the United States that they had seen on a website of an NGO in Kenya that Malteser International partnered in a project where condoms were distributed. Malteser International immediately started an assessment and the result was that this was not true. The NGO had indeed projects where condoms were distributed, but not in the shared project with Malteser International. It was however decided that all projects were to be examined through an internal audit. It was decided by the director of Malteser international himself. And it was discovered that there were 3 problematic projects in Myanmar which were organized by the country coordinator of Malteser. These were carried out by the local coordinator against the policies established by Malteser International, which since 2004 has decided not to participate in projects that would distribute condoms. “
What happened after these findings?
“Two of these projects could be stopped immediately. The third project concerned the northern Myanmar and was intended to improve basic health service for poor people, with two million euro a year. One percent of this sum, 20,000 euros, was aimed for the prevention of diseases amongst enslaved prostitutes in an area close to the border with China and regarded the Las Vegas “of the poor”. The person who had donated the money had insisted that this part remained in the project. If we had closed the project immediately, we would have left the entire region without health services. Therefore, the board of Malteser International decided to set up an ethical committee, led by Bishop of Troyes, France - Marc Stenger, to decide what to do. And this was the situation when I was elected Grand Chancellor. “
When did you first hear about that project?
“My first knowledge about this was in November 2013”.
What did you do?
“I didn’t act because it is competence of the board of Malteser International to act. But I saw what they did. Malteser International is a foundation created in accordance with the German law, there is a director, a vice-director and a board. And the members of the foundation are 20 different associations of the Order from various countries. The Grand Hospitaller, the position I covered at the time, is not directly involved in the operational part. His task is to supervise, but not in the lines of command.”
Within the Order, when were you charged first for what had happened?
“It started at the beginning of 2015”.
Was there an internal process?
Not in the beginning. I must say it was carried out by the Grand Master quite clandestinely at first, he personally set up a commission of inquiry composed of three persons.”
All this happened after the appointment of Cardinal Burke as patron?
“Yes, right after.”
You said that the Holy See did not want to get into the internal affairs of the Order’s government but had been involved. What happened?
“The engagement took place on two levels. First, the Grand Master asked me to resign, with the reasoning that the Holy See insisted in this regard. And this was not true. The Vatican authorities felt the need to clarify the situation. They were involved and when they found out that the request of my resignation had been made in the name of the Holy See, of course they had to deny. Second, after the action of the Grand Master, some international associations and priories of the Order of Malta wrote a letter to the Vatican to ask for help, they asked for an intervention. “
Where did these requests come from?
“I think from America, Australia and a few from Europe.”
But the Grand Master said that the Holy See wanted your resignation.
“Yes”.
What role did Cardinal Burke have?
“At that time, Cardinal Burke was the representative of the Holy See to the Order. I know that he insisted on my resignation and it was considered in a way... welcomed. “
During this process, has Cardinal Burke submitted to the Order’s government the letter from the Pope, in which he asked to resolve the matter internally and through dialogue?
“Yes, the Cardinal delivered the Pope’s letter to the Grand Master, who gave it to the members of the Sovereign Council.”
But in that letter, Francis did not state that you had to be dismissed...
“No, in fact, it actually said the opposite. He said we should consult within the Order and that problems should be solved in a brotherly way through dialogue. But the letter also presupposed that this projects were still ongoing, because it said among other things: if there are still problems, Cardinal Burke should consult with people in charge on how to solve them. However, when the letter arrived, the projects had already finished, there were no more problems. “
How was it possible to present this letter to the members of the Order, and at the same time say that the Holy See wanted your resignation?
“I can’t tell you”
Is it for this reason, i.e. due to this is unfaithful representation of reality, that the Holy See decided to take action by appointing a commission headed by Archbishop Silvano Tomasi?
“Yes, but the commission has arrived in stages. The Holy See first explained to the Grand Master that their request of resignation did not exist, and to please act as indicated. But nothing happened. Then the Holy See proposed to the Grand Master to set up a mixed commission with representatives of the Vatican, of the Order, and perhaps even a delegate of Cardinal Burke. The Vatican authorities along with this proposal had asked me whether I would agree to leave my office during the work of this commission. I agreed. However, Grand Master Festing did not agree. He did not accept this proposal of the Holy See. So, after the Grand Master refused this mixed commission, the Vatican appointed its Vatican commission to clarify what had happened. You can see, then, that the Holy Father stepped in very reluctantly, it’s not that he wanted to. He was involved step by step: he was trying to solve the problem. “
And it was found that you had no faults in the condom affair?
“This was the result.”
But why then has the Grand Master in accordance with Cardinal Burke tried to send you away?
“I think there were two different reasons. For what concerns the Cardinal, I believe he has always thought that I was responsible for the distribution of the condoms. But he never called me, he did not want to hear what I had to say about it. He never asked me for clarification. I myself asked for a meeting with him, to explain how the facts were. But I do not think he believed me. The Cardinal never met anyone of Malteser International to understand what happened, never. I do not know why, maybe he had already made his decision. On the other hand, for the Grand Master there were different reasons, such as a growing distance between him and the majority of the Sovereign Council. There were problems between him and the government of the Order. This gap was getting bigger and bigger. The issue of the condoms was only a pretext. I was considered responsible for this distance between him and the government of the Order. “
After the appointment of the Holy See Committee, there have been attempts to discredit you. There has been talk of a substantial inheritance, which would have been the real reason of the crisis and the consequent involvement of the Vatican ...
“The story is this. There is a charity foundation in Switzerland who managed a 120-million-euro inheritance. The money probably came originally from Lichtenstein. The characteristic of this Trust was that the person who had donated the money had not established how to use it and had only presented a wish list that, however, was not legally binding. The trustee could use the money without following the directions. One of these directions said that 25 percent of the inheritance should go to the Order of Malta. The compliance officer of the trustee that managed the Trust was fired and before leaving the office she had stolen some documents, among them also the one regarding this Trust. Along with others she tried to blackmail the trustee, saying that she wanted to keep all the money for herself, without distributing it, because no one knew about this Trust. A lawyer from Paris contacted the institutions listed in the wish list to convince them to start legal proceedings against the trustee. All beneficiaries, including my predecessor, gave a mandate to this law firm to start the criminal procedure. The judicial authorities in Geneva have impounded the money, which is still blocked. The problem will be solved soon, I believe that within a short time an agreement with the Trust will be signed. The prosecutor in Geneva has verified that the money is clean, there are no legal problems or risks. And the money will be used for our projects. “
But why was this case used against you and against the Holy See?
“The reason was that for a short time Msgr. Tomasi was required to help reach an agreement between the trustee and the Order of Malta. That’s all. In addition, the UN embassy of the Holy See in Geneva has its own Trust, a foundation to support financially the mission of the Holy See in Geneva. The two have been confused, but they had nothing to do with each other. “
Another possible explanation for what has happened might be the tensions between the German and English groups within the Order. What can you say about this?
“It is an artificial representation. There is a group in England around the Grand Master who support him. Since I am German, and I have many supporters in Germany, it was easy to build this idea. Let me just remind that among the signatories of the letter which asked for the Holy See intervention, there is the British Association’s president. “
What is the role of Cardinal Burke after the appointment of the papal delegate Becciu?
“It’s hard to find the right words. I would say that the office of Cardinal Burke at this time is de facto suspended. The Holy Father wrote that Becciu is the only spokesman of the Order. The unwritten conclusion that can be drawn is that presently Cardinal Burke can not speak on behalf of the Pope to the Order of Malta. “
Does a chivalrous Order such as Malta’s still make sense in our days? How to justify its existence in the third millennium? Is it necessary?
“I would not use the word” necessary “but” useful. “ In the last thirty years, the Order’s activities have tripled. And this development is alone a proof of the need. We are one of the few international organizations that can not be identified with a nation, and this is important, especially when working in conflict zones. It’s different from being neutral, it is to be independent from any national reality. People in war have a sixth sense to understand who is independent. Our only priority is to help, and our status highlights this will, and is really helpful when it comes to have direct contacts with governments, and actors on different levels. It gives credibility. For many of our activities this is crucial. Let me give you the example of Lebanon: it is clear to everyone that we are Catholics, and that the motivations that drive us are linked to our faith, but we have activities in clinics together with the Shiites, the Sunnis… with everybody in the country, because they recognize our purpose is to help and nothing else. There are groups who do not talk to each other, but they speak with us. It is the power of the powerless, we have no power and they don’t have to fear anything.
Should your statutes be changed?
“We need to see which parts of our constitutions must be reformed. One is probably the Order’s governing structure and the other one which was mentioned by the Pope in his last letter, regards the rules for the professed knights. “
In which direction should they be reformed?
“We need to revisit our system of checks and balances, to prevent what has happened from happening again.”
In the first and now famous letter of the Pope, whose full text is not known, there is mentioning of associations against the Church. A way of saying Freemasonry. Are there such problems in the Order?
“It’s really hard to answer. We ask all those who want to become members of the Order to declare and sign a special declaration stating that they do not belong to any organization that is hostile to the Church. Moreover, for each candidate we shall require the concurrence of the local ordinary, that of his bishop. We have already taken measures in this direction, but of course if the person declares the false, and also the bishop is unaware, it is difficult to obtain knowledge of these memberships. It is very clear that membership in these organizations are not compatible with membership of the Order of Malta. And if so, people must leave the Order. There is a formal procedure for the expulsion. “
Why was this issue mentioned in the recent crisis?
“I have no idea.”
This argument was perhaps used against you?
“Never. Never. I asked the Vatican whether they had clear indications that we needed to know about. We can not act if we do not know against whom and where. “
This is how francischurch functions.
Amazing how some people don’t have the discernment to know when it’s the right time and place to try to be funny and when it isn’t...
This is a Catholic Caucus thread.
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