Joe Vella Gauci is now a ‘grand prior’

Published: October 23, 2013 at 1:10am

Grand Prior

This has certainly been a big month for our friend the monsignor, Joe Vella Gauci. He has also been appointed (elected?) ‘Grand Prior of Malta’ in the ‘Hospitallier Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem’.

It’s just like the wrong sort of novel, isn’t it.




25 Comments Comment

  1. H.P. Baxxter says:

    Surprised? Don’t be. This is yet another consequence of the Naked Emperor syndrome which is the scourge of this lickspittle country.

    People go about calling themselves Chevalier, including (especially) total yoboicks from the back of beyond, and everyone happily obliges, never thinking to ask exactly which order they belong to.

    Others go about claiming they have invented Nobel-level hydrological wunderwaffen, and it never once crosses anyone’s mind to ask for the details. They are scientists. They are geniuses. QED

    I call ’em as I see ’em, which is why I’ve been booted out.

    • Emmett Brown says:

      Please distinguish between real scientists that have major publications in international journals, winners of multi-million international grants and others that are self proclaimed and have hardly published anything except in Maltese newspapers and magazines.

      • H.P. Baxxter says:

        Multi-million what, Emmett? I’ve seen the same turn of phrase in all your publications.

        But you inadvertently get the point about the HP test.

        Still, a major publication does not make one a genius. Nor does a grant award. Nor does an appearance on Xarabank. Nor does climbing Chomolungma.

      • Emmett Brown says:

        The ones that appear on Xarabank and climb mountains, are not within that group that are leaders in their field. And by leaders, I do not mean in Malta or within the Maltese University. These scientists and researchers who literally work late hours without extra remuneration, are seen and respected as leaders within the international community. They are not interested in cheap publicity thus one hardly hears about them. But I can assure, they are there and I know many of them on a personal basis.

        As for the multi-million, I forgot to put in Euros or Dollars, depending on the funding agency. And rest assured, to be awarded such grants, is not a mean feat.

        On the rest, I agree with you and detest those that think that they have reached some great heights, just because they say so.

    • Andrew Borg-Cardona says:

      H P B … one is tempted to ask, booted out whence? Surely exile is no longer an option on this blasted heath?

      • H.P. Baxxter says:

        Out of the career ladder.

        Good to see you here, by the way. You too call ’em as you see ’em.

  2. SMOM says:

    Mgr Joe Vella Gauci, new Malta-Taghna-Ilkoll ambassador to UNESCO, has been welcomed to the Hospitaller Order of St Lazarus of Jerusalem (celibacy not required).

    And guess who the Hon. Chairman of the Order of St Lazarus is? None other than the new Malta-Taghna-Ilkoll ambassador to Saudi, Dr Jaime Cremona – friend of Shiv Nair.

    Yes, the Jaime Cremona booted out from the Presidency of the Maltese Association of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta for gross – repeat, gross – misconduct.

  3. Osservatore says:

    Yes, this is the country that is scourged with subliterate lawyers who parade themselves as doctors. Why should we expect any better of a people when this has been the accepted practice for yonks, not to blow smoke up a Grand Prior’s arse?

    In every international forum, we seem to be the only country fielding politicians who are Dr This and Dr That, with a string of post nominal letters thrown in, forgeting that we are dealing with some world class personalities who, unlike Maltese peacocks, have no need for plumage display.

    So if we have a new Grand Prior well done. Its just a matter of time until we will see the appointment of some twerp as Dr. High Executioner B.Head (obviously an ardent labour supporter or better, a labour MP) who will be paid out of state coffers for doing sod all. And the little people will love it, although they are slowly realising that something isn’t quite right in this country any longer.

  4. Bon Ton says:

    “those kind of people” says it all !

  5. H.Galea (NRK) says:

    Tie them with a ribbon and drop them in the deep blue sea …

  6. Bullivant says:

    Monsignor Joe Vella Gauci must be trying to write his own real-life Dan Brown novel.

  7. Django says:

    It’s not a coicidence that he was appointed Grand Prior of Hospitallier Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem, because like Lazarus he has resurrected again from amongst the dead after 9th March, 2013.

    A woman who is ready to pour perfume on his feet and wipe them with her hair, he has too.

  8. Tania says:

    Dan Brown would be fascinated

  9. JoeS says:

    A few years ago the Grand Prior of Malta, in the “Hospitallier Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem” – one Jaime Cremona – left that order and joined the Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM). He was asked to leave, something that rarely happens.

    We don’t know why, but we do know that he is now Malta’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia.

  10. Emmett Brown says:

    And the grand prior of Malta as distinct from Gozo is Monsignor Anton Gauci, his uncle. And there is also a grand priory of Cottonera. Both sport the coloured Maltese ensign that should only be used by the President’s office.

  11. Emmett Brown says:

    Actually the Cottonera one is not a Priory but the Cotoner Commandery.

    To complete this Maltese vegetable soup there seems to be two Orders with similar if not identical names:

    http://www.saintlazarus.org/pages/Grand%20Priories.html

    And

    http://www.st-lazarus.net/international/index.html

  12. Mikiel says:

    These so called gentlemen seem to have suffered so much in the past years. Such hunger and piety. And now they even have the time to play knights & chevaliers complete with crosses, capes and grand eloquent titles. Some even with princesses.

    Kemm hawn min ihosshu fuq din il-blata f’nofs il-Mediterran. Titli biss. Minn jigradwa bl’unuri ghal BA Hons (sic), minn professor u min grand prior, inkredibli.

  13. Chlamys an says:

    The Order of St Lazarus, set up by failed Labour candidate and failed rock band promoter Massimo ‘Max’ Ellul. Lovely.

  14. monitor says:

    And on same page a homage to Monsignor Vella Gauci:

    “The Grand Hospitaller of the Order, the The Very Reverend Monsignor Joseph Vella Gauci ECLJ CMLJ. Apart from his prestigious position within the Catholic Commission of the Bishop’s Conferences of the European Community, the Grand Hospitaller’s genuine belief and academic background related to ecumenism and inter-faith dialogue proved to be essential in furthering the spiritual growth of the Order in harmony with the various Christian denominations embraced by its members.”

    Who are they kidding.

  15. monitor says:

    They will have an Ethiopian Prince as their Grand Master in 2014 – see http://www.leaders-21.com/contentimages/docs/Malta_April_2013.pdf – even though in the same document it says the order was set up in 1995.

    I wonder who is pocketing all the misati and admission fees?

    Also they boast: “It is indeed a great achievement by all our members to register the fact that today the local Lazarite presence in Malta and Gozo is indeed the biggest concentration of members within a chivalric organisation operating on the islands.”

  16. Seriously says:

    Seriously, the Order of St Lazarus in Malta is self-styled to say the least.

    Serious researcher, readers, please read Guy Stair Saintly’s works on the history of the True and self styled orders.

    http://www.chivalricorders.org/orders/self-styled/lazarus.htm

    The Head of the Order is none other then HRH, Duc d’Anjou a member of the Bourbon-Orleans branch of the French Royal family.

    Anyone that joins the Malta chapter has like so many other orders in Malta wasted their money on a peice of paper stated they are something other then common people.

    To add further insult, the Pope only recognises the Order of St Lazarus that is headed by HRH, Duc d’Anjou.

  17. Seriously says:

    Further comments by the Authority of Orders of the world from Guy Stair Saintly: (Please do google him).

    What a load of balls.

    This self-styled Order was founded by a group of enterprising business
    men in 1910, failed during WWI and was then revived by some others in
    the 1920s.It has no conection whatsoever with either the original
    Order of St Lazarus that was combined with the Order of St John in
    1489, with the Priory of Capua of that Order that survived the
    amalamatino with St John and provided the foundatino of the Order of
    St Mauriice and Lazarus in 1572, or with the commandery of Boigny of
    St Lazarus that resisted Papal authority until 1608 when the benefices
    of the commandery were invested in the newly founded Order of Our Lady
    of Mount Carmel. This latter became the Order of Our Lady of Mount
    Carmel and Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem united under the Protectino of
    the Crown of France. Its last Grand Master was Louis, Count of
    Provence, who made the last reception of knights according to the
    canonical forms in 1788. On being restored as King Louis XVIII in 1814
    he decided that the Order would be allowed to become extinct and
    petitions to join the Order were subsequently refused(the Charte
    Constitutionnel made it illegal to accord honours on the basis of
    nobility,since such distinctions would have offended the principle of
    equality enunciated in the Charter). This decision was made final in a
    delcaration by the Grand Chancellor of the Legino of Honour in 1824.
    In 1831 it was forbidden to wear the Order in France. In 1856 the last
    knight received according to the canonical forms died at the age of
    103.In 1956, under canon law, the original canonical foundation became
    finally and irrevocably extinct, 100 years having passed since the
    death of its last member. The Order was condemned by the Holy See in
    1935 and again in subsequent condemnations of self-styled Orders. It
    is contrary to French law to wear the deocrations or claim the
    chivalric titles associated with them.The “history” published by this
    organisatino which purportes to trace its survival and existence
    throught he 19th century is merely a work of fiction.

    Which of the five competing bodies that all claim to be the survivor
    of the 1910 foundation (because that it is the very best any of them
    can claim) are you trumpeting here?

    https://groups.google.com/forum/#!searchin/alt.talk.royalty/Order$20of$20Saint$20Lazarus$20of$20Jerusalem/alt.talk.royalty/E6ISUEEHnAQ/GxzwfxyBIV0J

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