The Agreement
The Order of St.John Today		An agreement on the use of the upper part of Fort St Angelo was signed on the 5th of December 1998 between the Maltese government and the Knights of Malta at the Palace in Valletta. The Prime Minister, Eddie Fenech Adami and the Grand Chancellor of the Order, Count Don Carlo Marullo di Condojanni, signed this important agreement at the Auberge de Castille, which is the Office of the Prime Minister. This agreement grants the Order the right of use for 99 years of the land and buildings forming part of Fort St Angelo. This agreement supersedes the previous agreement between the Government and the Sovereign Military Hospitaller of St John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta (SMOM) which was signed in 1991 by which the Order had been given the use of the Fort for 50 years. The President of Malta, Ugo Mifsud Bonnici and the present Grandmaster Fra Andrew Bertie were also present for the signing. After the signing, Dr Fenech Adami said that the agreement had been long coming because the two sides had first started talks in 1988. President Mifsud Bonnici who at that time had been Minister of Education had been entrusted by the Cabinet to conduct negotiations with the Order on the use of Fort St Angelo. According to Dr Fenech Adami, this is a frame-work agreement that will open the door for the Order of St. John to have a more effective presence on the Island. He also said that this agreement will make it easier for Malta and the Knights to increase their co-operation. The Maltese Government was not looking at financial return in itself but more at what would make more sense in the interest of the Maltese people. According to Count Marullo, the agreement would provide a greater opportunity for the order to extend its humanitarian and cultural activities. Moreover, the Order intends to strengthen co-operationbetween the Knights all over the world and Malta. According to him, the Order was really thankful to the Maltese government for this agreement, which as comes at a time of festivities and celebrations since the Order was celebrating its 900 years of existence. According to the agreement, a copy of which was laid on the table of the House by the Prime Minister, the government would retain sovereign rights over Fort St Angelo. Either party may, however, during the 50th and 75th year notify the other if it wishes to terminate the agreement. The main points of the agreement are the following: · The public including visitors to Malta would be allowed access to Fort St Angelo, subject to such procedures and limits as may be established by the Order with written agreement of the Government. · The Order would not be able to transfer the Fort to third parties. If the Fort ceased to be held and used by the Order, for any reason, it shall revert to the Government free and unencumbered. · The Property and assets of the Order, except those belonging to the Malta National Association or to any Maltese sub-division of the Order, shall be immune from search, requisition, confiscation, exploration and any other form of interference, whether by executive, administrative, judical or legislative action. · The Order will enjoy diplomatic immunity but it will not grant asylum to any person at St Angelo. The Order may keep a small body of personnel in uniform to perform guard and security duties and for ceremonial purposes. · The Order shall be exempt from taxation and shall be treated as non-resident for the purposes of the Exchange Control Act. Accordingly it may hold funds in the form of gold or in any currency and in any country. Any of the gold, currency or bank balance held in Malta may be freely transferred within Malta or to any other country. · The Order shall restore out of its funds the buildings and other constructions at the forts to the highest standards reasonable possible. According to Count Marullo, although the restoration is expected to cost LM1.2 million, one third of this sum has already been spent on renovating parts of the Fort. The Maltese Government and the Order shall enter into agreements as well on postal and philatelic matters. Moreover, the Order shall seek to organise regularly in Malta conventions of its members in various professional and disciplines to encourage co-operation and exchange of ideas. Earlier in the day of the agreement, the pomp and splendour of the Order was manifestly evident when hundreds of Knights and Dames robed in black walked in procession along Republic Street in Valletta on their way to St. John's Co-Cathedral, the Conventual Church of the Order. On taking the turning up St. John Street, they were welcomed by the Co-Cathedral's joyous bell ringing. Arriving at the church, the Knights were welcomed by the Dean of the Cathedral Chapter, Mgr Carmelo Xuereb, and by other Chapter members. The concelebrated solemn High Mass was conducted by the Order's Patronus, cardinal Pio Laghi. Other co-celebrants included Malta's Archbishop Giuseppe Mercieca, Gozo's Bishop Nikol Cauchi, the Apostolic Nuncio Mgr. Gatti, Archbishop Emmanuel Gerada and several prelates from other countries. Leading the congregation were the President of Malta and his wife Mrs. Mifsud Bonnnici, as well asthe Grandmaster Fra Andrew Bertie. Also present were Prime Minister and his wife, the Foreign Minister and his wife, Cabinet ministers and former Italian President, Senatore Francesco Cossiga, who is a member of the Order of St. John. In a short address before Mass, Malta's Archbishop Mercieca said it was a pleasure to have so many Knights in Malta to start their celebration of praise to God for his help during the past 900 years. This was an unusual but marvellous event that should act as a point of reference to further strengthen the Order's spirituality and love between man and God and between man and his fellow humans. Mgr. Mercieca also said he hoped the coming years would see the humanitarian spirit based on the message of the Gospels reach higher levels. Cardinal Laghi said he appreciated the Order's charitable initiatives. He trusted that the new millennium would see the Order steadfast in its Christian virtues, resting its faith in the Blessed Mary and extending its solidarity to fellow men. In his own message, Cardinal Laghi said that the Order venerated the Blessed Mary as the mother of God. As the new millennium would signal 2,000 years since the birth of her Son, it would also signify the nearing of the first millennium of the Order of St. John.