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THE TUITIO FIDEI PRIZE
The Cuban Association of the Order of Malta has instituted the Tuitio Fidei Prize in order to recognize and honor those who through their public actions witness the principles of our Faith. The recipients of the Prize live their life, public and private, consistent with the demands of our Faith notwithstanding the public condemnation for their actions. The recipient of the Prize in 2006 was the Honorable Melquiades Rafael Martinez, United States Senator from Florida, Knight of Magistral Grace of the Cuban association. In 2007, the recipient was His Eminence Seán Patrick Cardinal O'Malley, OFM Cap, Cardinal-Archbishop of Boston.
The Order of Malta has been a religious Order from its origin, having been recognized as such in 1113 by Pope Paschal II. It is a lay religious Order according to Canon Law, where some of its members are religious — they have professed the three vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience — and others have taken a special vow of obedience, while the great majority of the knights and dames are lay members.
Since its inception in the XIth century, the Order has remained true to its dual founding principles or charisma: Tuitio Fidei, defense of the Faith, and Obsequium Pauperum, service to the suffering. Its members share the same vocation and strive together for solidarity, justice and peace, based on the teaching of the Gospels and in the closest communion with the Holy See. The most visible commitment of the Order to its charisma is its commitment of service to Our Lords, the Poor and the Sick. Wherever they settled, be it Jerusalem, Rhodes or Malta, the Knights Hospitalliers always established first a Hospital and Hospice and then, if they needed to, built defense fortifications. This tradition continues today with the hospitallier works of the Order which are carried on in over 120 countries.
Less visible today, but no less important, is the commitment of the Order and its members to defense of the Faith – Tuitio Fidei. In the middle ages, when the Order was born, defense of the faith was a very physical and visible task. Starting with the Crusades and through the Battle of Lepanto, the Order had a major and direct participation in the military defense of Christendom and the Church. With the passage of time, however, the concept of “defense of the faith” has evolved from one requiring the use of force to a one best effected through a public witnessing of one’s faith – a process no less dangerous than the military tactics used before as evidenced by the great number of martyrs to the faith in the Twentieth century and first decade of the Twenty-First century. |
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