| John Dunlap | |
| Succession: | Prince and Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta |
| Reign: | 3 May 2023 – present Acting: 13 June 2022–3 May 2023 |
| Predecessor: | Giacomo dalla Torre |
| Successor: | in office |
| Full Name: | John Timothy Dunlap |
| Birth Date: | 16 April 1957 |
| Birth Place: | Ottawa, Ontario, Canada |
| Father: | John Gerard Dunlap QC |
| Mother: | Dena née Morrison |
| Religion: | Roman Catholicism |
Fra' John Timothy Dunlap (born 16 April 1957) is a Canadian attorney and the 81st Prince and Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, since 2023.[1]
Dunlap previously served as Lieutenant Grand Master of the Order of Malta from 13 June 2022[2] before becoming the first Sovereign Prince and Grand Master without noble or aristocratic descent, as previously required, following Pope Francis' revision of the Order's constitution in 2022.[3]
The only son of Jake Dunlap and nephew of Judge Frank Dunlap, his grandfather was Henry Joseph Dunlap, late Royal Canadian Engineers, of ancient Scottish descent.[4]
Born and raised in Ottawa, Dunlap received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Ottawa and a Juris Doctor from the University of Western Ontario,[5] having also studied at the University of Nice.
Admitted to the New York State Bar Association and the Ontario Bar Association, in 1986 Dunlap joined the New York legal firm Dunnington, Bartholow & Miller, becoming a partner in 1993. Specialising in corporate and immigration law, he was appointed legal advisor to the Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations.
Appointed a Knight of Magistral Grace of the Order of Malta in 1996,[6] Dunlap professed temporary vows in 2004. On 7 June 2008, he professed perpetual vows as a Knight of Justice at the Church of St. Joseph in Greenwich Village. In 2006 he was elected the First Regent, or religious superior, of the Sub-Priory of Our Lady of Lourdes,[7] which comprises Knights, first and second class, who are members of the American Association and the Federal Association.[8]
In May 2014, Dunlap was elected to a five-year term as a member of the Order's Sovereign Council.[9] He also serves as President of the Committee on the Orders of St John, set up as a collaborative body between the Order of Malta and the four non-Catholic orders of St John.[10]
On 13 June 2022, Pope Francis appointed Dunlap as Lieutenant Grand Master of the Order of Malta,[11] before, on 3 May 2023, being elected Sovereign Prince and 81st Grand Master.[12] Dunlap's election was made possible by Pope Francis's 2022 revisions to the Order's constitution, which removed the traditional requirement for the Grand Master to prove noble ancestry.[13]
Dunlap is President Emeritus of the Canadian Club of New York, Vice-President of the Royal Conservatory of Music Foundation (Toronto), a Trustee of John Cabot University (Rome), and President of the Friends of the Certosa di Capri (Italy).
| Notes: | As Prince and Grand Master His Most Eminent Highness quarters the Order of Malta (1st & 4th) with his Dunlap family arms (2nd & 3rd) granted to his father, John Gerard Dunlap, in 2003.[14] |
| Escutcheon: | Argent a double-headed Griffin sejant affronté per fess Gules and Sable holding in its claws a Sword point in base Argent hilted Or. |
| Crest: | Issuant from Waves Argent a Wall Gules charged with a Trillium Proper between two Thistles Or and issuing therefrom a Hand Proper grasping a Sword Argent hilted Or. |
| Motto: | Concussus Surgo[15] |
Fra' John Timothy Dunlap received the title of Canon ad honorem of the Saint Lawrence Collegiate Chapter of Vittoriosa by solemn decree of His Grace the Metropolitan Archbishop of Malta Mgr Charles Jude Scicluna on the 16th of June 2023. His Most Eminent Highness was decorated with the pectoral cross which is one of the insigna bestowed by the Holy See on the Collegiate Chapter.[16]
Fra' Dunlap has also been awarded the following honours: