The Grand Hospitaller of the Sovereign Order of Malta, Josef Blotz, paid a visit to the Lebanese Association of the Order of Malta, touring its centers and meeting beneficiaries, partners, and volunteers across the country.

The visit opened with a Mass at Saint Elie Church, celebrated by the Order’s chaplains, followed by a gathering that highlighted the Order’s deep historical roots in the region, part of the Holy Land where the Order began its mission in the 11th century, and its enduring commitment to serving the most vulnerable.

Near Beirut, the Grand Hospitaller visited the Saint John the Baptist Community Health Centre in Ain Al-Remmaneh, where he met with doctors, paramedical, and administrative teams. At the Association’s headquarters in Badaro, he exchanged with the finance, human resources, development, and procurement departments, as well as with leaders of the health, social, and agro-humanitarian sectors.

Discussions focused on primary healthcare, mobile medical units, food distribution programs for the poor and elderly, support for displaced and refugee populations, and the expanding role of the six agro-humanitarian centers serving small- and medium-scale farmers.

A key moment of the visit was a meeting with Lebanon’s Minister of Public Health, Rakan Nasreddine, who expressed strong appreciation for the Order’s nationwide work and reaffirmed his willingness to strengthen cooperation, particularly in the most remote and sensitive areas.

Travelling north to Tripoli and Zgharta, the Grand Hospitaller visited the Mobile Medical and Paediatrics Units stationed at the Carmelite Fathers’ school, providing consultations, medication, referrals and school health services.

He also toured the Community Health Centre in Khaldieh, operated in partnership with the Antonine Sisters, and a Mobile Community Kitchen distributing hot meals to vulnerable populations, including persons with disabilities.

In the Northeast Beqaa Valley, the delegation visited a settlement for Syrian refugees in Sahel Younine, where the Order’s Mobile Medical and Dental Units deliver essential care amid increasingly precarious conditions.

At the Community Health Centre in Barqa, founded in 1985 and dedicated to the martyr Father Nikolas Kluiters, and managed with the Saint Cœur Sisters, the Grand Hospitaller witnessed both the growing needs of isolated rural communities and the dedication of staff serving them. The program also included visits to the agro-humanitarian centers in Mejdlaya and Btedai, where nurseries, agricultural support services, and a newly established distillery for aromatic and medicinal plants strengthen rural livelihoods.

The visit concluded at the Warm House in Beirut-Chiyah, where the Grand Hospitaller shared a meal with elderly beneficiaries alongside young volunteers who promote the Order’s Charisma in many different ways. For those affected by Lebanon’s economic hardship and emigration, the Order’s support remains an indispensable pillar of dignity. Personally, taking part in the service, the Grand Hospitaller praised the volunteer’s energy and commitment, reminding them: “You are not only the future-you are also the present.” He asked them to embrace their youth and let their liveliness inspire those around them, asking them to persevere and carry the Order’s mission forward.

Widely recognized by local communities, Church institutions, and state authorities alike, the Order of Malta’s work in Lebanon stands as a living testimony to faith in action, what Cardinal Pietro Parolin once described while visiting them, as the “Gospel in Action.”