The University of Malta contributes to the second Culture Symposium organised by the Office of the President of Malta which focused on the past and future of the Sovereign Order of Malta.
The aim of the symposium was both to explore the past relationship of Malta and the Sovereign Order of Malta, and to chart new paths for the future. President George Vella highlighted the potential to restore the historical link between Malta and the Sovereign Order of Malta. Aspects covered during the symposium included: the Hospitaller medical tradition, issues of war, sovereignty and diplomacy, the archival heritage of the Order and how to manage it, the artistic patrimony of the Order, the role of private collections, the role of architecture, as well as the work currently carried out by the Order across the globe.
The President said “It is with this thought that I welcome this symposium as a moment of reflection. Indeed, the history of the Order of St John has its fundamental relevance and significance that continues to be underpinned, valued, and celebrated till this very day."
Contributors from the University of Malta included: Dr Sandro Debono (Department of Arts, Open Communities & Adult Education, Faculty of Education) who co-ordinated the event in his role as Culture Advisor to the Presidency, Dr Emanuel Buttigieg (Department of History, Faculty of Arts), Dr Valeria Vanesio (Department of Library Information & Archive Sciences, Faculty of Media & Knowledge Sciences), Prof George Buttigieg (Visiting Senior Lecturer, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine & Surgery), Mr Adrian Scerri (PhD candidate, Department of History, Faculty of Arts), Mr Christian Mifsud (PhD candidate, International Institute forBaroque Studies), Ms Chanelle Briffa (MPhil/PhD candidate, Department of Conservation and Built Heritage, Faculty for the Built Environment) and Dr Christina Meli (PhD candidate, Department of Art and Art History, Faculty of Arts).
Other contributors included: H.E. Augusto Ruffo di Calabria (Ambassador of the Sovereign Order of Malta to the Republic of Malta), H.E. Douglas Graf Saurma-Jeltsch (former Ambassador of the Sovereign Order of Malta to Lithuania, Executive Board Member of Malteser Hilfsdienst - interviewed by Keith Demicoli, an alumnus of the University of Malta), Fra John Critien (Knight Resident at Fort St. Angelo), Dr Daniel K. Gullo (Joseph S. Micallef Director of the Malta Study Center at the Hill Museum and Manuscript Library), and H.E. Dominique Prince de La Rochefoucauld-Montbel (Grand Hospitaller and BailiffGrand Cross of Honour and Devotion in Obedience).
The live video conference can be viewed here.