It is awarded to recipients who have brought honour to the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, promoted Christian values and for charity as defined by the Roman Catholic Church.

Conferees include prominent statesmen, such as Presidents Ronald Reagan, who received it while still in office, and George H. W. Bush.

The medals are inscribed with the abbreviated Latin: Militaris Ordo Equitum Melitensum Bene Merenti, which translates roughly as Military Order Knight of Merit Well Deserved.

By the medieval period both milites (from which derives the word militaris) and equites are terms for knights, even though the original distinction was foot soldiers and cavalry respectively.

[1] The Order pro Merito Melitensi comprises the following classes: The Collar only has a single grade, but is separated into two divisions, namely "Collar pro Merito Melitensi" for Civilians and "Collar with Swords pro Merito Melitensi" for the Military.