Fra John Edward Critien appointed grand chancellor of Sovereign Order of St John

Fra John Edward Critien has been appointed as the foreign and interior minister of the Sovereign Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint John by means of a deliberative vote, according to a government statement.

Fra Critien was also appointed head of the chancellery, the office responsible for relations with national associations, talks with third parties and the implementation of the order’s internal administration.

The Sliema-born friar will also be leading the order’s diplomatic missions in the world.

The Sovereign Council met today at the Grand Magistry in Rome, where after taking the oath, Fra Critien officially entered into the fullness of his powers.

Fra Critien was admitted into the Grand Priory of Rome of the Sovereign Order of Malta in 1983 after having distinguished himself in the formation of voluntary youth groups of the Order of Malta in Pisa and Florence.

In 1993, he professed perpetual religious vows as Knight of Justice. He was member of the Sovereign Council (Government) of the Order between 1994 and 1999 and was elected again in 2014. Fra Critien also occupied the position of conservator of the magistral palace library and archives and curator of the art collections of the Order. He has also been the curator of art exhibitions.

In July 2000, Fra Critien was appointed Knight Resident at Fort St Angelo, Malta, a position he currently holds. In September 2001, he was elevated to the rank of Knight Grand Cross of Justice and in 2012 to rank the Bailiff Grand Cross and Justice, the first ever Maltese to hold this grade in the Order.

In its statement, the government congratulated Fra Critien and said it looked forward to stronger ties between Malta and the Order.