FRA' Andrew Bertie was Grand Master of the Order of Malta, the sovereign order of chivalry constituting the world's smallest state. From headquarters in Rome, the order issues passports and exchanges ambassadors. The reign of his most eminent highnes
s heralded a period of enormous modernisation, as he oversaw the oldest chivalric order in the world meeting contemporary needs of humanitarian aid and the relief of suffering around the globe. Fra' Andrew balanced this by ensuring that the order maintained tradition, continuing to recall the primacy of the spiritual over the temporal.
Andrew William Ninian Bertie (pronounced "Barty"), the first grand master of the order called forth from the English-speaking world since Hugh Revel in 1258, was grandson of John, 4th Marquess of Bute, son of Lady Jean Crichton-Stuart, and great-grandson of the famous Catholic convert and beneficiary of the University of St Andrews' John Patrick Crichton-Stuart, 3rd Marquess of Bute. On being appointed 78th head of the order in 1988, one of Bertie's first duties was a visit to Scotland to pay a courtesy call on Cardinal Gordon Gray in Edinburgh, and to inspect work carried out through order fundraising activities in Falkirk, Alloa and Aberdeen, before going on to Pluscarden Abbey in Moray, the religious house refounded by a family member in 1948.
Fra' Andrew's development of the Order of Malta to suit contemporary needs in humanitarian relief follows the order's motto, Tuitio Fidei et Obsequium Pauperum (Defence of the Faith and Service of the Poor), with the slughorn Seigneurs, Malades (Our lords, the sick). In celebrating nine centuries of the order in 1999, he pointed out: "Our aims today are exactly the same as they were in 1099 – the sanctification of our members through service to the sick."
Under his leadership, the number of countries with which the Order of Malta has diplomatic relations has doubled to 100, including non-Catholic nations, increasing its presence through 12,500 knights and dames, 13,000 staff and 93,000 volunteers in 120 countries.
The collapse of the Iron Curtain in the early years of Fra' Andrew's reign brought the Order of Malta into charitable work in Eastern Europe, while at home, the ambulance corps founded by Irish knights in the 1920s has developed into community care service, with central Scotland hosting Dial-A-Journey for the elderly. The order also moved quickly into the former Yugoslavia, setting up a humanitarian relief station in Kosovo in 1999.
Educated by Benedictines at Ampleforth Abbey, his highness graduated from Christ Church Oxford in modern history, and opted for Crichton-Stuart tradition in serving in the Scots Guards until 1949. He worked briefly as a financial journalist in the City of London before moving to Worth Abbey in Sussex to teach French and Spanish for some 23 years.
Bertie's interest in the order was encouraged by his friend Viscount Furness, and after admission to the order in 1956, Fra' Andrew gained his title of frater (brother) after taking solemn religious vows in 1981. As a newly-professed knight of justice, he was appointed to the sovereign council of the order. Uniquely, the Order of Malta, unlike any other military, chivalric or religious order, is juridically sovereign – a designation dating back to the time when it ruled a geographic territory, originally the Greek island of Rhodes and later the Mediterranean island of Malta. In spite of the loss of Malta to Napoleon in 1791, the order has continued to maintain its sovereignty. Order membership is largely restricted to Roman Catholics with proofs of nobility.
From the 17th century, grand masters acquired the attributes of sovereigns, addressing a monarch as "cousin". It is a tradition that on every 24 June, the feast day of St John the Baptist, the patron of the order, the grand master, is received by the Pope. Papal receipt of Fra' Andrew continued a friendship with the present Pope, Benedict XVI, begun when the Holy Father was Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger.
The self-effacing Bertie spoke five languages fluently and had knowledge of half-a-dozen more. He established conferences for members, moving among delegates and able to converse freely in their tongues.
Beneath Fra' Andrew's natural reserve lay a strong competitor. The holder of a black belt in judo, he organised and taught judo to the young in Malta (where he loved to spend holidays). He was patron of the Malta Judo Federation and his name continues in their Under-20 international tournament as the Andrew Bertie Memorial Tournament. His special interest was the cultivation of oranges.
The funeral of his highness takes place in Rome at the Basilica of Santa Sabina on Saturday, 16 February, with his official state funeral occurring on 8 March, 30 days after his death. The grand master is survived by his brother, Peregrine Bertie, president of the British association of the order.
The full article contains 838 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
