we love to care – order of malta relief activities in central and eastern ...

The Order of Malta – History
and Mission
The origin of the Sovereign, Military and Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta – better known as the Order
of Malta – go back to the eleventh century.
In accordance with the Constitutional Charter, the purpose of the Sovereign Order of Malta is ‘the promotion of…the Christian virtues of
charity and brotherhood. The Order carries out its charitable work for the sick, the needy and refugees without distinction of religion, race,
origin or age. The Order fulfils its institutional tasks especially by carrying out hospitaller works, including health and social assistance, as
well as aiding victims of exceptional disasters and war…’.
During the Cold War the Order was prohibited to work in the region for more than forty years. Today, it has successfully re-established its
presence across Central and Eastern Europe after communism collapsed symbolised by the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989.
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