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Albrecht Freiherr von Boeselager: Last German in the management team
Photo: Francesco Pistilli / Francesco Pistilli/KNA
Pope Francis has surprisingly dismissed the Grand Chancellor of the Order of Malta, the German Albrecht Freiherr von Boeselager.
At the same time, the pope dissolved the council of the Catholic order.
The Vatican published a corresponding decree on Saturday.
In it, the Church leader convenes a Provisional Sovereign Council and an Extraordinary General Chapter on January 25.
The regulation comes into force with immediate effect.
As a Catholic order with around 13,500 members worldwide, the Maltese are subordinate to the Vatican.
Under international law, the Order, which carries out humanitarian work worldwide, is considered its own bearer of rights and duties.
He also maintains diplomatic relations with numerous countries.
The Order has been in a leadership crisis for years.
According to media reports, it should not only be about the sovereignty and the statutes of the order, but also about financial independence.
Among other things, there is talk of tensions between the papal representative for the reform of the order, Cardinal Tomasi, and parts of the order's leadership.
In a recent open letter, leading Maltese leaders asked the Pope to stop the planned reforms and have new plans drawn up.
New Grandmaster in January
At the General Chapter next year, a new Council and a new Grand Master are to be elected.
The Grand Master is the highest office in the Order.
Boeselager, 72, was a kind of foreign minister as Grand Chancellor, a position he had held since 2014.
As a result of his replacement, there are no longer any Germans at the management level.
The pope set up a transitional council by January.
Currently Canadian John Dunlap is Lieutenant of the Grand Master and thus head of the Provisional Government.
Dunlap said on the Order's website that after carefully considering various proposals, the Pope had "determined a path that promises to secure the Order's future both as a religious institute and as a sovereign entity." The decision was the first step in a clear plan for a more efficient and streamlined governance of the Order.
slue/dpa
