John of God 2015 Princess of Asturias Award for Concord

Statement by Jesús Etayo, Superior General of the Hospitaller Order of St John of God, on the bestowal of the 2015 Princess of Asturias Award For Concord.

“As Superior General of the Hospitaller Order of St John of God, on behalf of the Order I wish to thank the Honorary President of the Princess of Asturias Foundation, HRH Leonor de Borbón, the President of the Principality of Asturias, Honorary Vice-President of the Foundation and Chairman of the Jury, the Most Honourable Mr Javier Fernández Fernández, the President of the Board of Trustees, the Most Honourable Mr Matías Rodríguez Inciarte and all the members of the Jury for their recognition of the mission that the Order carries out in the world by granting it the Princess of Asturias Award for Concord.

It is an award that belongs to the people that our institution provides care for worldwide. Many of them are at risk of social exclusion, with a high level of social vulnerability (the sick, the dependent, the homeless, immigrants, the disabled, the elderly and those with problems of mental health).

It is also an award for the entire hospitaller family of St John of God, brothers, collaborators and volunteers who, each day, place themselves at the service of the people they provide care for in nearly 400 centres and services on five continents, in the 55 countries where our Order is present.

It is most especially an award to the people who generously give of themselves to the ultimate consequences: we particularly recall the eighteen brothers and collaborators of our family who died last year in Liberia and Sierra Leone due to Ebola; including brothers Miguel Pajares and Manuel Garcia Viejo.

It is an award for all members of the Order to continue, as Pope Francis puts it, taking care of the fragility of the world, building bridges of hope and promoting justice and hospitality as the great driving forces of our society. A commitment which arose for the Order almost 500 years ago, thanks to the charisma and commitment of our founder, St John of God.”

Jesús Etayo
Superior General of the Hospitaller Order of St John of God
Rome, 2nd September 2015