|
The
Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the
Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of
Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta (Italian: Sovrano
Militare Ordine Ospedaliero di San Giovanni di
Gerusalemme, di Rodi e di Malta; Latin: Supremus
Militaris Ordo Hospitalarius Sancti Ioannis
Hierosolymitani Rhodiensis et Melitensis), commonly
known as the Order of Malta or Knights of Malta (KM),
is a
Catholic lay religious order, traditionally of a
military, chivalric,
and
noble nature.
Though it possesses no territory, the order is often
considered
a
sovereign entity under international law. |
