From left: Director of “Hospitality Europe” European Office Dr Carlo Galasso, Prior General Brother Jesus Etayo, MEP Gabriel Mato and Brother Rudolph Knopp - General Councillor with responsibility for the European Region.
On Wednesday 26th February, Prior General of the Hospitaller Order of Saint John of God, Brother Jesus Etayo, was presented with the “First European Citizen Prize” for 2014 at the European Parliament in Brussels. The Order received this honour along with 46 other winners selected from among hundreds of candidates from the 28 Member States of the European Union. MEP Gabriel Mato nominated the Hospitaller Order in the summer of 2014 at one of the most critical moments in the spread of the Ebola epidemic in West Africa.
The Hospitaller Family paid a heavy price for the care delivered at that time to the people of Liberia and Sierra Leone in terms of the loss of numerous staff and Brothers including Brother Miguel Pajares and Brother Manuel Viejo, the only European citizens who died to remain true to their commitment to combating the epidemic.
