Dear Members and Friends of the Order,

From the Grand Magistry in Rome, in joyful anticipation of the birth of our Saviour, I send my best wishes to all for a holy and happy Christmas.

It is as important, as it is difficult, to hold close to our hearts the message of Christmas. That is, the good and joyous news that salvation is at hand, despite all the sadness and heartache that besets our suffering, broken world. For although there is a Christmas joy that cannot be suppressed, there are men and women in the millions who, weary and hungry, will rest uneasy without homes, health or family come this Christmas Day. My thoughts and prayers go to these forgotten people, cast-aways who are often invisible to us even though they stand clearly before our very eyes.

For members, friends and collaborators of the Order, this is a season to take heart, to pay close attention to your surroundings, to recognize that in poverty and weakness, there are riches and strength and that from the humblest origins can emerge the most salvific event in human history: the birth of the Christ child. This is a time for us to see not the misery of those we serve, but the beauty of their souls, their Christ-like nature. It is a time for us to see the Christ child in the newborn infants in our hospitals and our Blessed Mother in the frightened faces of the young mothers, worried how they will feed their little ones.
The image of our God who becomes man in the simplicity of a manger, helps us to rediscover the meaning of our work in bringing dignity, human warmth, care and closeness to all those trapped in poverty, disease, and conflict. Let us take a moment this Christmas to pray for our members, staff and volunteers who, in the farthest corners of the globe, dedicate themselves in a spirit of service to alleviate suffering, while they accompany so many of the poor and marginalized in their lonely and difficult journeys through life. In this, we can so clearly see our guiding principle: Tuiitio Fidei et Obsequium Pauperum”. That is, “Defending the Faith Through Service to the Poor”.

As we come to the close of 2024, we watch carefully and hopefully events in the Holy Land where Jesus came to maturity and preached salvation and love, and where our Order was born over 900 years ago. Particularly in Gaza, we contemplate a living nativity scene with thousands of families sleeping without shelter, waiting for food, turned away as unwanted refugees. Our work finds us thrust into the midst of this chaotic, modern “nativity” scene. Yet, with the invaluable help of the Latin Patriarch of Jeruslaem, we manage to deliver food and temporary shelter to the scorned and unwanted people of Gaza.

It is the same in Lebanon, a country that is now facing an unprecedented situation with millions of displaced people. In recent months, the cry of pain of the Lebanese population has not left us indifferent. We also continue to assure our closeness to the tireless work of the staff of our Holy Family Hospital in Bethlehem, a place in the ‘heart’ of Christianity that shows all its suffering in yet another delicate historical moment.

I am proud of, and at the same time moved by, the dedication and commitment of our volunteers and supporters around the world. Among the many tragedies of war, let us not forget our brothers and sisters from Ukraine, who have been sorely tried, physically and psychologically, by this seemingly endless conflict. In faith, I know that our prayers truly reach every corner of the world, where our associations and humanitarian entities are diligently defending and promoting the rights and dignity of each person.

In Rome, Pope Francis will soon open the Holy Door of the Jubilee of Hope, so that all may experience the certainty of the Jubilee grace. A grace that, as the Holy Father himself stated in the Bill of Induction of the Holy Year, “is a way of discovering the unlimited nature of God’s mercy”.

I wish you all, in this Holy Year 2025, the grace to become ‘pilgrims of hope’, illuminating your journey with the light of faith that invites us to continue serving humanity. For your loved ones and your families, I pray that they will experience a holy Christmas of hope.

God bless you and bless your loved ones, the sick, the poor, the suffering and our beloved Order of Malta.