Order pro merito Melitensi

The Order pro Merito Melitensi is the order of merit of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, established in 1920. It is awarded to recipients who have brought honour to the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, promoted Christian values and charity as defined by the Roman Catholic Church. Unlike Knights or Dames of the Order of Malta (which is a military order of chivalry), those decorated with the Order pro Merito Melitensi are not invested in a religious ceremony, do not swear any oath or make any religious commitment. It may therefore be bestowed upon non-Catholics. Conferees include prominent statesmen, such as Presidents Ronald Reagan, who received it while still in office, and George H.W. Bush.

The order comprises three ranks, including Commander, now rare in the Order of Malta, and has no nobiliary grades, thus being comparable to numerous orders of merit around the world, including the Papal orders, France's Legion of Honour and Britain's Order of the British Empire.

In addition to membership of the order, a medal is awarded in three classes: gold, silver and bronze.

The Order pro Merito Melitensi comprises the following classes:

The Collar does only have one single grade, but it has instead two divisions, namely "Collar pro Merito Melitensi" for Civilians and "Collar with Swords pro Merito Melitensi" for the Military. The Collar is only awarded to Heads of State.

The Cross is bestowed upon both civilians and military personnel, comprising several grades:

N.B: these decorations are "with Swords" for serving military and "without Swords" for civilians.

When awarded to ecclesiastics, it has the same cross as awarded to civilians and military personnel. Nevertheless, this ribbon is black crossed with two thin red lines and comprises only two grades :

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