Order of Malta's lieutenant dies

(ANSA) - ROME, JUN 7 - The Sovereign Order of Malta (the Knights of Malta) on Tuesday announced the death of the Lieutenant of the Grand Master, Fra' Marco Luzzago, at the age of 72.
    The Grand Magistry announced, with deep sorrow, the return to the Father's house of His Excellency the Lieutenant of the Grand Master, Fra' Marco Luzzago, who passed away today at Villa Ciccolini (Sforzacosta, Macerata province), following a sudden illness.
    According to Article 17 of the Constitution of the Sovereign Order of Malta, the Grand Commander, Fra' Ruy Gonçalo do Valle Peixoto de Villas-Boas has assumed the functions of Lieutenant ad interim and will remain head of the Sovereign Order until the election of the new head of the Order.
    Fra' Marco Luzzago was elected head of the Sovereign Order of Malta on 8 November 2020.
    Born in 1950 in Brescia, Fra' Marco Luzzago, after completing his studies at the institute of the Franciscans in Brescia, studied medicine at the Universities of Padua and Parma. He was then asked to manage his family's property interests.
    He joined the Sovereign Order of Malta in 1975 in the Grand Priory of Lombardy and Venice and took his Solemn religious Vows in 2003. He began attending the Order of Malta's international pilgrimages to Lourdes and the national pilgrimages to Assisi and Loreto. From 2010 he dedicated his life completely to the Order of Malta, moving to the Marche region to care for one of the Order's Commanderies. From 2011 he was Commander of Justice in the Grand Priory of Rome, where he held the position of Delegate of the Northern Marche region and head of the library.
    Between 2017 and 2020, he was Councillor of the Order of Malta's Italian Association.
    The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM) runs a large charity-hospital organization around the world, and has recently provided humanitarian aid for countless refugees and migrants.
    It has diplomatic relations with over 100 states and the European Union, and permanent observer status at the United Nations.
    The Knights of Malta, as they are more widely known, were founded on the Mediterranean island in the 11th century as a military religious order like the Templars.
    They were removed from Malta by Napoleon.
    Headquartered in Palazzo Malta in Rome, their mission is summed up in their motto: "Tuitio Fidei et Obsequium Pauperum"; protecting the Catholic Church and serving those in need.
    (ANSA).