The Pope appoints a Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church as his representative to the Order - the "Cardinalis Patronus", vested with special authority. The Cardinalis Patronus is in charge of promoting the spiritual interests of the Order and of its members, as well as the relations between the Holy See and the Order.

From May 1993, the Cardinalis Patronus of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta is:

His Most Reverend Eminence Cardinal Pio Laghi.

Cardinal Pio Laghi, Prefect emeritus of the Congregation for Catholic Education (association of seminars and educational institutes), was born in Castiglione, dioceses of Forlì-Bertinoro (Italy) on May 21, 1922 and received the Orders on April 20, 1946.

After the Salesian School of Faenza, he joined the Episcopal Seminar to study philosophy, then attended the Faculty of Theology at the Pontificia Università Lateranense as a student of the Papal High Seminar. In 1942 he graduated in Theology, and in 1950 in Canon Law, at the Pontificia Università Lateranense.

After having attended the Papal Ecclesiastic Academy, in March 1952 he entered the service of the Holy See and was sent to Managua, Nicaragua, as Secretary of the Nunciature. Three years later, at first as Secretary and then as auditor, he served the Apostolic Delegation in Washington and, in 1961, the Nunciature of Delhi, India. Again in Rome in 1964, for five years he served the Secretary of State in the Council for Public Affairs, now Division of Relations with States.

Elected at the official archbishopric seat of Mauriana on 24 May 1969 and appointed as the Apostolic Delegate to Jerusalem and Palestine, he was ordained Bishop on June 22, 1969. In the five years spent in Jerusalem he was also Pro-Nuncio in Cyprus and Apostolic Visitor in Greece.
In April 1974 he was appointed to Argentina as Apostolic Nuncio, and there he remained until December 1980, when he was appointed Apostolic Delegate to the United States. In March 1984, once the official relations between the Holy See and the Government in Washington were established, he became Apostolic Pro-Nuncio.

On April 6, 1990 he was appointed Pro-Prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education.
John Paul II made him Cardinal during the Consistory of June 28, 1991, Deacon of S. Maria Ausiliatrice in Via Tuscolana (Protodeacon as from January 1999).

He held the following positions:

• Prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education (of seminars and institutes) until November 15, 1999;
• President of the Papal Oratory of St. Peter as of December 1992; and
• a member of:
  
  • The Council of the 2nd Section of the Secretary of State;
    
  • The Congregations for Oriental Churches, Canonisation Causes, Bishops, Evangelisation of Peoples, and the Clergy;
    
  • Institutes of consecrated life and Societies of apostolic life; and
    
  • The Papal Council for Legislative Texts.