The Order of Malta\u2019s Holy Family Hospital in Bethlehem is facing severe operational constraints and its mobile clinics remain unable to reach Bedouin villages in the West Bank due to movement restrictions and violence, the order\u2019s grand master told diplomats Jan. 10.<\/p>\n
Fra\u2019 John Dunlap said in his annual\u00a0address to the diplomatic corps<\/a>\u00a0that the 900-year-old Catholic order is committed to help reconstruction efforts in Gaza City led by Egypt, the Palestinian Authority, and other partners.<\/p>\n Middle East operations central<\/p>\n The ties to the Middle East are central to the order\u2019s mission, particularly in Lebanon and the Holy Land, Dunlap told the diplomatic corps accredited to the order at the Magistral Villa on Rome\u2019s Aventine Hill.<\/p>\n He expressed concern about restrictions on movement, violence, and persistent shortages of essential services in the West Bank, citing the operational challenges facing Holy Family Hospital and the inability of mobile clinics to reach Bedouin communities.<\/p>\n Latin America remains a region of paramount importance, Dunlap said, announcing a regional conference of the Order of Malta for the Americas in Buenos Aires in autumn 2026 to streamline regional humanitarian initiatives.<\/p>\n Africa continues to receive substantial investment through specialized programs of Ordre de Malte France and Malteser International, with newly established relations with Gambia and Burundi yielding rapid progress, he said.<\/p>\n Ukraine constituted a major focus, with Dunlap calling for hostilities to cease and full protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure. The order expressed readiness to support dialogue initiatives \u201cin full respect of its principles of neutrality and impartiality.\u201d<\/p>\n UN status sought<\/p>\n The order aspires to attain \u201cenhanced status\u201d within the United Nations that more accurately reflects the nature and breadth of its worldwide activities, Dunlap concluded.<\/p>\n The order currently holds permanent observer status at the U.N. and maintains diplomatic relations with 115 countries.<\/p>\n Ambassador Antoine Zanga of Cameroon, dean of the diplomatic corps, praised the order\u2019s \u201chumanitarian diplomacy\u201d in\u00a0his response speech<\/a>and invited Dunlap to continue promoting \u201ccharity, solidarity, peace, and defense of international humanitarian law in a world where the rules are fading.\u201d<\/p>\n Dunlap described 2025 as a year of exceptional intensity, marked by the jubilee, the death of Pope Francis, and the election of Pope Leo XIV, which \u201cprofoundly resonated across both the life of the universal Church and the broader international community.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe order is truly the institution of the Gospel, which it follows as Jesus taught it through his apostles,\u201d Bolivian Ambassador Teresa Susana Subieta Serrano shared with CNA after the speech of the grand master. She noted that the grand master mentioned Latin America as a region of paramount importance for the order.<\/p>\n \u201cWe recognize many good things that the order is doing. I am also the special envoy of my country to Africa, so I appreciate the particular mention of this continent. My intention is to do projects in Africa together with the order,\u201d Slovenian Ambassador Franc But told CNA.<\/p>\n