BISHOP Jean Laffitte loves his “Lord the poor and the sick”.
It is an old concept, he explains, that the Order of Malta speaks of those they serve as Christ, literally – “Our Lord the poor and the sick”.
He said Christ identified Himself with the least of us and His entire ministry was “to help the poor and the sick”.
“When we say ‘our Lord’, it is because we try to recognise in the sick and in the poor, the person of Christ and to Christ we will say ‘the Lord’, ‘my Lord’, ‘our Lord’,” he said.
Trying to pin down how many languages the visiting French bishop knows, Bishop Laffitte says he has “taught in five languages”.
It is to be expected for a man who is serving as prelate for the Order of Malta, where he is responsible for the priests of the order across the world.
His last week has been a whirlwind of conference talks and meetings at the Order of Malta Australia national conference in Brisbane.
Taking time out of his schedule, he wanted to talk to The Catholic Leader about the good his order does.
Bishop Laffitte said his order’s charism is composed not of two separate duties, but one.
It is found in the order’s motto.
Southport parish priest Fr Gerard McMorrow, who was also sitting at the café table, recited the Latin: “Tuitio fidei et obsequium pauperum”.
“Defence of the faith and assistance to the poor,” he translated.
It did not mean that “some people are religious” and “some serve the poor”, Bishop Laffitte said.
“The service to the poor was made in the name of Christ,” he said.
If it was any other way, he said, the order would just be like any other non-government organisation.
Giving something to someone in need would be good, he said, but also stopping to talk to them and ask them about themselves would be better.
“It will be the best meeting you will have in the day,” he said.
The Order of Malta is 900 years old and has a rich history from medieval times to the modern era.
Despite its age, Bishop Laffitte was confident his order remained relevant in today’s world.
“It’s not only a human institution,” he was quick to point out.
He said it was the grace of God and the power of the charism itself that meant it would always be relevant.
But the bishop himself was also proof of its relevance today.
During his time representing the order, he has travelled to 40 different countries, a feat that simply would not have been possible before the modern era and the invention of the jet engine.
He said his travels had shown him the richness and diversity of the order across the world.
He marvelled at how different places and cultures could be one from the other, and yet how similar was the spirituality that permeated it all.
“It gives you joy, you know, real joy,” he said.
“The Order of Malta is a family… in Christ we are the same family.”
Bishop Laffitte praised the Australian chapter’s formation materials.
When he went back to Rome, he had even urged other countries to “copy the Australians” because of the production-level of the literature.
