Pope Francis commended Order of Malta leader Fra’ Marco Luzzago’s “luminous Christian witness” in a condolence telegram sent on Wednesday.
Luzzago, who had been in charge of the 1,000-year-old institution since 2020, passed due to a sudden illness on June 7th.
In a telegram to the pope’s special deputy to the Order of Malta, Cardinal Silvano Maria Tomasi, the pope expressed his sympathies.
The telegram said: “Spiritually sharing in the grief at the sudden passing of His Excellency Fra’ Marco Luzzago, Lieutenant of the Grand Master, I wish to offer my condolences to his family and to the entire order and, in remembering his commitment generously lavished in the performance of his high office in the service of this institution, as well as his love for the Church and luminous Christian witness, I invoke eternal peace for him and from my heart impart my blessing to you … to the interim Lieutenant Fra’ Ruy Gonçalo do Valle Peixoto de Villas-Boas, to the Grand Magistry, and to all the members of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.”
Luzzago died at Villa Ciccolini in the Italian region of Macerata at the age of 71.
On Nov. 8, 2020, the Italian medical practitioner, who is related to Pope Paul VI, was voted Lieutenant of the Grand Master.
He was slated to serve for a one-year term prior to the election of a new Grand Master of the organization, which is normally a lifetime position.
However, Pope Francis extended his mandate as part of a push to complete a years-long constitutional reform process.
The order’s Grand Commander, Fra’ Ruy Gonçalo do Valle Peixoto de Villas-Boas, will govern the organization until a new leader is elected.