Translated material
The only country in the world without territory
In Europe, there is still a state that owes its creation to the era of the Crusades: the Order of the Knights Hospitaller of Malta, which was based in Malta for almost 300 years, not only did not disappear, but is still recognized by more than a hundred states and even has representation in the UN. The order has nothing in common with modern Malta, but its citizens still “defend the faith and help those in need.” Members of the order call each other knights, and a country's passport without territory is considered the rarest in the world. Crusaders of the 21st century - in the material of "Cold".
Its citizens call each other knights and continue the traditions of the Crusades. Russia once saved her from Napoleon
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The Sovereign Military Order of Malta is the only state in the world without territory. Although calling the Order a full-fledged "country" is not entirely accurate, it continues to exist as a sovereign entity under international law, and is recognized as such by the 114 countries with which the Order of Malta maintains diplomatic relations. This is more than, for example, partially recognizedKosovo and Taiwan , which have their own territory. Moreover, the Order of Malta has the status of a UN observer state and its own constitution.
For almost a thousand years of its history, the Order of Malta owned lands and was located in the territory of modern Israel, Cyprus, Greece, Italy and Malta. Almost nothing remains of the military heritage from the times of the Crusades, but members of the order are still called knights and ladies. In addition, the order is a religious entity that adheres to Christian (Catholic) principles.
“Defend the faith and help the poor,” says the order’s motto.
The landless country issues its own stamps, currency and passports, although the Order of Malta mints coins exclusively for collectors. There are very few holders of Maltese passports in the world - only about 500, and they live in different parts of the world. The order, however, even has its own unique license plates, but does not have its own roads - although this was not always the case.
Order of Malta without Malta
In 1099, a monastic community was founded in a hospital for pilgrims in Jerusalem, whose members began to call themselves Hospitallers. In 1113, the Pope officially recognized the community as a religious order, granting it independence. Later, the knights acquired a flag that still exists today with a white eight-pointed cross, which is called a reflection of the eight knightly virtues: faith, mercy, truth, justice, sinlessness, humility, sincerity and patience.
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In 1530, the Spanish King Charles I leased the Maltese Archipelago to the Hospitallers in exchange for a promise to send him a Maltese falcon annually. Then the affairs of the order went up, knights from all over Europe came to the island, and the new capital of the state, Valletta, was striking in its appearance even several centuries later - in the 19th century, British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli called it “a city built by gentlemen for gentlemen.”
However, in 1798, Napoleon captured Malta, and the Knights of Malta lost their land and a significant share of their influence. Russian Emperor Paul I volunteered to save the Order. It was he who provided shelter to most of the Hospitallers, contributed to the evacuation of the main shrines and helped with financing. For this, the emperor even became the head of the order - Grand Master. This was a unique case in the history of Catholic education when an Orthodox emperor took this position. However, the Pope did not approve of this appointment.
A few years after Napoleon captured Malta, the British expelled the French from the island and occupied it themselves. In 1802, France and Great Britain made peace, which included the return of the island to the order. However, in 1815, the Congress of Vienna handed Malta over to Great Britain and ended the territorial holdings of the Order of Malta. The Order's shrines were kept in the Winter Palace of St. Petersburg until 1917.
From the 19th century to the present, the headquarters of the Order of Malta is located in Rome. The Maltese Palace and the Main Villa have the same extraterritorial status as foreign embassies: they are physically located within the borders of another country, but are not subject to local laws. Diplomatic relations have been established between the order and the Republic of Malta. In 2001, the order returned to the island in a limited number - Malta granted the knights the right to use Fort St. Angel for a period of 99 years.
Dedication to service above career and money
There are three classes of knights in the order. The first is the Knights of Justice, or the Established Knights. Only they made three Gospel vows: poverty, chastity and obedience. “Without them [the vows], the order would not exist,” said the order’s Grand Chancellor (analogous to the Minister of Foreign Affairs) Riccardo Paterno di Montecupo.
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Members of the Second Class undertake to live according to the Christian principles and practices of the order. And the Third consists of lay people who do not take religious vows, but are required to maintain exemplary Christian behavior in their personal and public lives.
The leadership of the Order of Malta is similar in structure to the governments of ordinary countries. The head of the order is the Grand Master, who rules both as sovereign and as religious superior. The Catholic Church ranks him as a cardinal. He is elected for 10 years and can serve a maximum of two terms. Mandatory condition: the head of the order must retire before the age of 85. The current Grand Master is Fra John T. Dunlap, who is 67 years old.
The Grand Master is assisted by the Sovereign Council, which he heads. A government of sorts is elected for a period of six years and consists of the Grand Commander (responsible for religious and spiritual matters), the Grand Chancellor (Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of the Interior), the Grand Hospitaller (Minister of Health), the Custodian of the Common Treasury (Minister of Finance), and also nine other council members.
“Devotion to humanitarian service takes precedence over considerations of career or remuneration. This distinctive element reflects the spiritual mission of the order,” said Grand Chancellor Riccardo Paterno di Montecupo.
It is not easy to become a member of the Order of Malta: it can only be done by invitation. The order may include Catholics who support the principles of the church and who have worked successfully for many years for the benefit of the order. Those who have received an invitation will not be able to earn money in the order, so the Knights of Malta are most often self-financed volunteers.
The rarest passport in the world
At the moment, the Order of Malta includes more than 13.5 thousand knights and ladies, as well as about 95 thousand regular volunteers and 52 thousand employees, most of whom are medical personnel. Despite such a large number of members of the order, only 500 people are passport holders. This makes it the rarest passport in the world.
The crimson passport (some see this as a reference to the color of the blood of Jesus Christ) is intended for members of the Sovereign Council, a kind of government, and heads of diplomatic missions and their families. The name of the organization is written on it in French - Ordre Souverain Militaire de Malte - and the coat of arms is drawn.
The Order issues passports to members of its government for the duration of their term of office. For example, the Grand Master's document is valid the longest, since he is elected for 10 years. Other passports are valid for four years or more and are used only for diplomatic missions.
An Order of Malta passport is so rare that border guards are always surprised when they see it, said Eugenio Airoldi di Robbiate, the order's former communications director.
“One day, when I arrived at Bangkok airport, a crowd of passport control officials wanted to see my rare passport and take a selfie with it,” he said.
Two thirds of the Schengen countries recognize the diplomatic passport of the Order of Malta. Among the countries that do not recognize the passport are the USA, the Netherlands, Finland, Sweden, Iceland and others. In addition, the order also works closely with countries with which it does not have diplomatic relations, such as France, Great Britain, Belgium and Canada. However, they will still not be allowed into these countries with a passport of the Order of Malta.
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“We ensure the rapid delivery of medical and humanitarian aid to victims of conflict or natural disasters. We operate hospitals, ambulance services, medical centers, nursing homes, canteens and first aid stations,” Daniel de Petri Testaferrata, former president of the order’s Malta branch, explained which missions require diplomatic passports.
For humanitarian missions, the order receives funds from the members themselves, private and public donations, as well as grants, for example, from the European Commission, specialized UN agencies or other international organizations. Resources for medical activities and hospitals usually come through agreements with the countries where the volunteers will work.
“We don’t judge those we help”
Left without its own territories, the Order of Malta ceased to perform military functions and is now engaged only in humanitarian activities. Today, Hospitallers work in 120 countries, where they help those in need who have been affected by armed conflicts or natural disasters. Members of the order and volunteers provide medical assistance, organize refugee camps and supply medicines and equipment. Due to its status as a neutral and independent entity, as well as its humanitarian role, the Order of Malta acts as a mediator in disputes at the international level.
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“This is exactly what is happening in the Gaza Strip, where the order - in agreement with the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem - may well be the only international organization providing assistance to the city of Gaza, with access to the northern part of the strip,” said the order’s Grand Chancellor Riccardo Paterno di Montecupo.
In recent years, the Order of Malta has carried out rescue operations in Syria, Iraq, Kosovo and North Macedonia, India, Pakistan, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Haiti, Nepal and the Philippines. In addition, today the order helps Ukrainian refugees around the world, including Ukraine itself. Assistance is also provided to refugees from Africa. This occurs as part of rescue operations both in the Mediterranean and along migration routes to Northern Europe.
“What we don’t do is judge those we help, because someone else has to judge—I mean God,” the order’s chancellor said .
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Author: Daria Morozova Photo: Alessandro Bianchi / Reuters