Post originally by The Fiendish Dr. Samsara at 2005-06-06 13:45:41
Converted from Phorums BB System

Indeed. And they actually have some kind of Un representation, although I’m not clear exactly hat that is. Anyway, I’m always surprised by how few of these stories use the Knights of Malta as powerful secret society since, in some sense, they are the Knightly Order that “won”. Plus, they are essentially a multi-national corporation (or fraternal organization of high-level business guys) and MNO make as good villains as Nazis or Nazi-precursors. I guess the real difference, for conspiracy purposes, between the Templars and the Hospitalers/Knights of Malta is that the first group dramatically occulted (in the literal sense: they disappeared), while the second group is still here. Which is why the KOM would make great villains.

BTW the Cathar/Templar thing is usually explained in that both were (or were alleged to be) heretics who denied the divinity of Jesus. The conceptual trick here is that you have to separate “Jesus” from ‘Christ”, which the Catholic Church would not do (hence the heretic-bit).