H.E. Don Riccardo Paternò, Count of Montecupo, Prince of Cerenzia, of the Dukes of San Nicola and Pozzomauro (born 5 October 1945) is an Italian economist and academic serving as the Grand Chancellor of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta since September 2022. He is a member of the House of Paternò, a major sicilian noble family.
| Riccardo Paternò di Montecupo | |
|---|---|
| His Excellency (office) Prince and Count | |
 | |
| Grand Chancellor of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta | |
| In office 3 September 2022 – present | |
| Monarch | John T. Dunlap |
| Preceded by | Albrecht von Boeselager |
| Born | 5 October 1945 Naples, Campania, Italy |
| Spouse | Princess Donna Sveva Paternò (née Gilardini) |
| House | House of Paternò |
| Father | Balì Frà Renato Paternò di Montecupo, Grand Prior of Naples and Sicily |
| Mother | Princess Donna Laura Paternò (née Curato) |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Early life and economic career
editPaternò di Montecupo was born on 5 October 1945 in Naples, Italy. He attended the University of Naples Federico II and graduated with a law degree. He later became an economist and professor. He was the chair of International Economics for the University of Naples for 35 years, having began teaching there in 1980.[1][2] He also was a visiting professor at the London School of Economics starting in 1981 and taught International Economics at several other Italian universities.[1][2]
Paternò di Montecupo served as an economic advisor to the Minister of Industry and Minister of Defence of the Italian government, and as an advisor to the Prime Minister's Office from 1983 to 1994. He also advised a number of companies, including Confindustria, and was a member of the Italian Technical Scientific Committee for Economic Planning. A member of the Italian Society of Economists, he was also a contributor to the Naples daily newspaper Il Mattino.[1]
Sovereign Military Order of Malta
editPaternò di Montecupo is active in charitable organizations, having joined UNITALSI in 1962, serving as president of the Ernst & Young Foundation, "whose aim is to give opportunities to young people in disadvantaged situations," and founding the Renato and Lauro Paternò Foundation, another charitable group which he chairs.[1]
Paternò di Montecupo became a member of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM) in 1979.[1] The SMOM, a Catholic order focused on providing humanitarian aid, is considered a sovereign entity although it possesses no territory, having diplomatic relations with 113 countries as of 2023.[3][4] Paternò di Montecupo served as the Order's Deputy Observer for its mission to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and as the head of the Association of Italian Knights of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta from June 2016 to April 2023, thus also being the head of the SMOM Military Corps.[1]
On 3 September 2022, Paternò di Montecupo was appointed by Pope Francis to be the Grand Chancellor of the SMOM, a position making him the equivalent of a prime minister.[3][5] He also became a member of the Sovereign Council of the Order of Malta and the Minister of Foreign Affairs as well as the Minister of Internal Affairs.[1][5] In January 2023, he was re-confirmed to the post of Grand Chancellor for a six-year term expiring in 2029.[6]
In September 2023, Paternò di Montecupo gave a speech at the United Nations Security Council on the subject of the war in Ukraine, discussing the humanitarian efforts put out by the SMOM as well as the costs of the war, noting that "there is no easy solution to this conflict, but peace remains the only way out of this tragic situation. We are aware that the process could be long, difficult and painful, but there is no alternative if we want to stop as soon as possible the enormous human suffering and the negative economic and social repercussions of the war at a global level," as well as that the monetary cost of the war was so great that it could have funded UNICEF for over 30 years.[7] He was the first Grand Chancellor of the SMOM ever to speak at the UN Security Council.[4]
Paternò di Montecupo spoke at the 60th Munich Security Conference in February 2024 and later gave another address to the UN Security Council in September 2024, on the topic of "Leadership for Peace."[8][9] In October 2024, he was a co-signer of an agreement to officially establish relations between the SMOM and the United Kingdom.[10]
Honours and awards
edit
- Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Star of Italy (2023)[11]
- Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Merit of the Italian Republic (2023)[11]
House of Savoy: Grand Cross of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus (2023)[12]
Ancestry
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References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g "Grand Chancellor". Sovereign Military Order of Malta.
- ^ a b "Riccardo Paternò". ASFOR.it (in Italian). Associazione Italiana per la Formazione Manageriale.
- ^ a b "Meet the Knights of Malta". The Economist. 1 February 2024 – via archive.ph.
- ^ a b "Grand Chancellor of the Order of Malta Shares Insights on Global Peace and Humanitarian Efforts". Diplomat Magazine. 1 October 2023.
- ^ a b "Lo SMOM si lascia alle spalle gli intrighi dei tradizionalisti e il Papa vara la nuova Costituzione" [SMOM leaves behind the intrigues of traditionalists and the Pope launches the new Constitution]. FarodiRoma.it (in Italian). 3 September 2022.
- ^ "Il nuovo Sovrano Consiglio dell'Ordine di Malta" [The new Sovereign Council of the Order of Malta]. Notiziario Araldico (in Italian). 27 January 2023.
- ^ "SMOM: Gran Cancelliere Paternò a Consiglio Sicurezza ONU su Ucraina" [SMOM: Grand Chancellor Paternò at UN Security Council on Ukraine]. Giornale Diplomatico (in Italian). 22 September 2023.
- ^ Zengarini, Lisa (16 February 2024). "Order of Malta: Attacks on civilians and aid workers are crimes against humanity". Vatican News.
- ^ "Grand Chancellor addresses the United Nations Security Council on the topic "Leadership for Peace"". Sovereign Military Order of Malta. 26 September 2024.
- ^ "Order of Malta and UK establish official relations: Memorandum of Understanding signed". The Catholic Network. 11 October 2024.
- ^ a b "Quirinale | Honours".
- ^ "S.A.R. EMANUELE FILIBERTO DI SAVOIA, PRINCIPE DI PIEMONTE E PRINCIPE DI VENEZIA HA INCONTRATO S.A.E. FRA' JOHN DUNLAP, PRINCIPE E GRAN MAESTRO DEL SOVRANO MILITARE DELL'ORDINE DI MALTA. – Ordini Dinastici della Real Casa di Savoia" (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-10-18.