Rome – 7 February 2008. The Chancery with regrets to announce the death of His Most Eminent Highness Frà Andrew Bertie, 78th Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and Malta. Frà Bertie was first invested by HRH The Duke of Castro into the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George as a Knight Grand Cross of Justice in 1985. The Prince and Grand Master was later elevated to the rank of Bailiff Grand Cross with Collar in 1988 – the highest distinction within the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St. George. In 1993, HMEH Frà Andrew Bertie, was invested as a Knight of Royal Order of Saint Januarius – the most senior Order of the Royal House of Bourbon Two Sicilies.
Andrew Willoughby Ninian Bertie was the first Englishman to be elected to the post of Grand Master in the Order of Malta’s 900-year history. Born on 15 May 1929, he was educated at Ampleforth College, Christ Church Oxford and the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. After military service in the Scots Guards, he worked as a financial journalist in the City of London, before taking up the senior post in Modern Languages (French and Spanish) at Worth School, Sussex. Admitted to the Order of Malta in 1956, he took solemn religious vows in 1981 and served on the Sovereign Council (the government of the Order of the Malta) for the following seven years before being elected Grand Master on 8th April 1988.
His Most Eminent Highness Frà Andrew Bertie, who spoke five languages fluently, oversaw many changes in the Order of Malta, instituting a modern approach to the Order’s humanitarian programmes, increasing the membership and extending the possibilities of aid to the poor and the needy in far-flung regions. He augmented from 49 to 100 the number of the Order’s bilateral diplomatic mission, whose delicate mission it is also to offer assistance to afflicted countries in times of natural disasters or armed conflicts. He set up international conferences where members were invited to contribute to the Order’s humanitarian strategies and encouraged a greater commitment to the spiritual side of the Order’s stated mission to help the sick and the poor and to provide an example of living according to Christian principles. In addition, he modernised the internal structure and administration of the Order.
A man of quiet reflection and wide interests, although of a certain British reserve, Frà Andrew was much loved by all who worked with him on his many Order of Malta projects. He greatly enjoyed the company of the young, and his former students were often among his visitors to the Magistral Palace in Rome. He always much enjoyed meeting and talking with all those involved in the good works of the Order, many of whom he met on his travels around the world to visit the Order’s charitable activities and consult with the national associations involved. When possible, he spent his holidays at his home in Malta, where he was very involved in organising and teaching judo courses for children as well as tending his farm, whose four different varieties of oranges were a constant source of pride in good weather and anxiety in bad.
That His Most Eminent Highness was held in high regard is evidenced by the many honours bestowed on him: honorary citizen of Rapallo (1992), of Veroli (1993), Lourdes (1999), Magione (2002), Birgu (2003) and Santa Severina (2003). In Bolivia in 2002 he was created Huesped Ilustre (La Paz, El Alto and Santa Cruz), Path to Peace Award 2005, Matteo Ricci Award 2006. Honorary doctorates included Medicine and surgery, University of Bologna (1992); Jurispruden ce, University of Malta (1993), Humanities, University of Santo Domingo (1995), Universidad Catolica Boliviana San Pablo, Bolivia (2002) and Laws, St. John’s University, Minnesota (2003).
His Most Eminent Highness was also the holder of many decorations from over 50 countries and dynasties. These included the Collar of the Order of Pius IX from the Holy See, the Collar of the Italian Republic and the Grand Cross of the Legion d’Honneur of France.
Requiescat in pace.