Sovereign and Military Order of Malta

Brazil recognized the international status of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta in December 1951, and diplomatic relations were established with the creation of a Legation of the Order of Malta in Rio de Janeiro and a Brazilian Legation to the Order in Rome.

In 1956, Brazil appointed its first diplomatic representative to the Order, the minister-counselor of the Embassy to the Holy See, who was accredited as chargé d’affaires ad interim. In 1959, the representations were aligned, with the ambassador to the Holy See being accredited as envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary to the Order of Malta. In 1966, the Order expressed its desire to elevate the diplomatic representation to the level of an embassy, a request that was accepted by the Brazilian government.

The Grand Master visited Brazil in 1966, 1984, and 1990—the latter being unofficial. The Brazilian foreign minister visited the Order’s headquarters in Rome in 1966. The official programs of the visits were strictly protocolary, a characteristic that has traditionally marked relations between Brazil and the Order.

The Order of Malta is present in Brazil through three associations: in São Paulo (founded in 1956), in Rio de Janeiro (1957), and in Brasília (1984). These organizations have worked in Brazil by establishing childcare centers, including for people with special needs; homes for the elderly and abandoned children; providing medical and dental care; rehabilitating adolescents with criminal records; creating vocational training centers; assisting people affected by neglected diseases such as leprosy; and delivering social assistance to riverside communities in need in the North Region.

Chronology of bilateral relations

2024 – Visit by the Minister of Health, Nísia Trindade, to the Order’s headquarters
2019 – Visit by ANVISA Director, Admiral Antônio Barra Torres, to the Order’s headquarters
1990 – Visit to Brazil by the Grand Master of the Order of Malta
1984 – Visit to Brazil by the Grand Master of the Order of Malta
1966 – Visit to the Order of Malta by the Brazilian Minister of Foreign Affairs
1966 – Visit to Brazil by the Grand Master of the Order of Malta
1951 – Establishment of diplomatic relations