The Order of the Knights of Malta, a powerful and wealthy Roman Catholic body that traces its origins to the Crusades, is seeking a new leader to combat its secretive image after the death of its Grand Master.Fra Andrew Bertie (78), the first Briton to head the order and a descendant of the exiled Stuarts, died in a clinic in Rome on Thursday, where the order has been based for the past 174 years.
Elected Grand Master in 1988, he recently complained that the charitable activities of the Knights were overlooked by "conspiracy theorists" who suspected its humanitarian missions in Iraq and Afghanistan were a cover for "mercenary" activities.
"These assertions have absolutely no factual basis," he said in his traditional New Year's Day address.
The order, which has 12,500 members worldwide, is run by the Council Complete of State, an inner core of 60 "professed knights" who take monk-like vows of poverty, obedience and chastity.
They have begun behind-the-scenes consultations that will culminate in a conclave of the council to vote on a new grand master in about six months.
Grand masters, like popes, are elected for life. They must prove "noble lineage" going back at least two centuries.
"The vote is secret and stays secret until the new Grand Master has revealed his identity to the Pope," one source said.
Fra Andrew, a charming but intensely shy man, once said the order had nothing to hide.
However, its procedures were arcane and aristocratic.
Members wear black robes embroidered with a white eight-pointed cross.
The order has 93,000 volunteers around the world.
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