At a private, official reception – given the health situation – at the Orsini Palace, Embassy of the Sovereign Order of Malta to the Holy See, the Apostolic Nuncio to Morocco, H.E. Monsignor Vito Rallo awarded the insignia of Knight Commander of the Order of Pius IX to H.E. Julien-Vincent Brunie, in the presence of officers of the Order of Malta and of the authorities of the Holy See.

The Order of Pius IX is the highest Order of Chivalry still granted by the Holy See.

It was created in 1847 by Pope Pius IX, and is traditionally reserved for heads of state and government.

His Holiness Pope Francis awarded it to the Ambassador Julien Brunei, in gratitude for the services rendered to the Sovereign Pontiff and to the Holy See, particularly at the time of the Apostolic visit to Morocco, and for his efforts to promote interreligious dialogue and develop charitable services to people most in need.

The Ambassador Julien Brunie, in his address, praised King Mohammed VI, leader of believers, “a beloved and charismatic King, protector of Islam and of all religions of the Book, and an ardent advocate of shared understanding…” and recalled the significance of the visit by His Holiness the Pope to Morocco, and the importance of the Jerusalem Declaration.

He also referred to the vast range of charitable works carried out by the Order of Malta in the world, in Africa and Morocco, for 900 years serving the sick and the poor without any distinction of religion or origin. Her Excellency Mme Rajae Naji, His Majesty’s Ambassador to the Sovereign Order of Malta and the Holy See, attended this most solemn and restrained reception given by the governing bodies.