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Conclusions from an appropriate scientific study; shortly for publication:

«The Order of the Saints Maurice and Lazarus is not a "Religion" (religious Institution), neither is it a religious Order, nor a public association of the faithful, nor is it a private association of the faithful. It is simply a dynastic Order whose papal Bulls, dating from centuries past, have not been in force since 1907, and even before that in all probability - therefore it does not depend on the Church, and no longer has any official connection with it.»

A Statute wrongfully reformulated by Vittorio Emanuele after the death of King Umberto II.
The Statute is reproduced in English since it cannot be found in Italian. It is taken from the U.S. Savoy Delegation's website, the only one which publishes it for the sake of clarification.

Apart from the above statement, there remain four points that still need to be clarified concerning the Order of the Saints Maurice and Lazarus:

1. For a number of years its representatives have refused to declare, at least to all on whom the Order was conferred, what is the proportion (expressed in percentage) between the incomes of the Order, and how much of this has been donated to charity;

2. It turns out that the invested members themselves have no idea of the identity of the other members. On the various websites there is a name to "log in" and a password to access the lists. None of the invested members possess these formulas, nor has it ever been offered to them. One might say that in any Order or club persons who become members have the right to know who the other members are and whom they are likely to frequent, without any violation of privacy;

3. Secrecy regarding names in an association is permitted in Switzerland, where in fact it is legitimate to put in a Statute - so long as it does not lead to public disorder - that a member of an association does not have the right to know who the other members are; on the other hand, in Italy it is forbidden by law since it leads to the build up of an unlawful secret society. But quite apart from this the refusal to clarify the position in regard to its components only serves to make the organization itself fall under suspicion, especially when it defines its activities as existing solely for charitable causes; not to mention the declaration that it is connected with the Church;

4. In the recruitment of a new member (conducted through publicity, then by simple registration, like acquiring a credit card) no information is offered as to the possibility of choosing between the investiture alone - which must be gratuitous and based on merit - and the option to participate in the association under Swiss law, which imposes an annual payment of taxes of no mean amount. An omission that often carries a name.

Over and beyond these questions, yet another might be added. This concerns the reason why Emanuele Filiberto so hastily resigned, without even giving members of the Order previous notification, from his position as their Grand Chancellor.