Fra Matthew Festing, the 79th Grand Master of the Knights of St John was laid to rest at the capital's co-cathedral on Friday.

Carried on the shoulders of his sovereign brothers, Festing’s coffin was draped in the crimson embrace of the flag of the Order, as he was marched by his mourners to the altar against the backdrop of the cathedral’s gilded walls. 

Knights occupied rows of pews, gathered in prayer to bid their final farewell to Festing, a sea of crisp white eight-pointed crosses emblazoned on their ceremonial black robes. 

Photo: Chris Sant FournierPhoto: Chris Sant Fournier

Fra Festing fell ill while in Malta, attending the profession of vows of Brother Francis Vassallo, and was hospitalised at the beginning of November. He died eight days later, aged 71. 

Born in Northumberland, England, Festing was a Roman Catholic convert and was admitted to the Sovereign Military Order of Malta in 1977. He was elected Grand Master in 2008, making him the third English person to hold the title in the Order’s history, before he stepped down from the role in 2017. 

Aside from the army of knights in attendance, Festing’s funeral was also attended by Malta’s highest seats of authority. 

These included Prime Minister Robert Abela, Speaker Anglu Farrugia, Chief Justice Mark Chetcuti, as well as Opposition Leader Bernard Grech. 

Photo: Chris Sant FournierPhoto: Chris Sant Fournier

The Requiem Mass was celebrated by Cardinal Silvano Maria Tomasi, the Pope’s Special Delegate to the Order of Malta and co-celebrated by Archbishop Charles Scicluna.

In his homily, Tomasi insisted that the Order of the Knights must uphold its duty to be forever a defence of the frail and of service to the poor.

“Today’s battles are fought by the Order - not by the sword, but with a more effective weapon of charity to the poor and sick,” he said.

Cardinal Silvano Maria Tomasi and Archbishop Charles Scicluna led the funeral mass. Photo: Chris Sant FournierCardinal Silvano Maria Tomasi and Archbishop Charles Scicluna led the funeral mass. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier

First in 246 years

Festing’s burial in the crypt of St John’s Co-Cathedral will mark the first time the site has been prepared for burial in 246 years

The last grand master to be buried in the crypt was Vasconcellos in 1623, although it is understood, despite a lack of documentation, that it is also the resting place, in an unmarked grave, of Ximenes, who died in 1775, 23 years before the knights were ousted from Malta by Napoleon's invasion.

Festing will be laid to rest among some of the renowned figures whose legacies are still told in history books, including L’Isle-Adam, who brought the Order to Malta in 1530, and La Valette, who won the 1565 Great Siege and founded the city of Valletta.

While Grandmasters typically rule for life, Pope Francis asked Festing to step down in 2017 after a row on the use of condoms in a medical project for the poor, according to Reuters

Festing had sacked Grand Chancellor Albrecht Freiherr von Boeselager, accusing him of obscuring the fact that he allowed the distribution of condoms when he ran the order’s humanitarian agency Malteser International.

Photo: Chris Sant FournierPhoto: Chris Sant Fournier

What is the order of the Knights?

The Order of the Knights started out as a religious order of hospitallers around a thousand years ago in Jerusalem. Its main aim was to provide nourishment and medical assistance to the poor and sick.

Eventually, the Order developed a military branch that went on to fight crusades and sieges in defence of the Catholic faith. Its most significant war in Malta was the Great Siege of 1565 against the Ottoman Empire.

In modern days the Order has dropped its military branch and has gone back to its roots, spread across 100 countries, with 80,000 volunteers, 40,000 professionals and many hospitals around the world.

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