BREAKING Pope Leo XIV Appoints Notre Dame University VP Among US Leaders, 2 Archbishops, and Others, to Key Dicastery
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On March 30, 2026, Pope Leo XIV expanded the Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Human Development by appointing 11 new members, including four prominent scholars and leaders from the United States. The two archbishops are Archbishop Rogelio Cabrera López, Mexico; Archbishop Fulgence Muteba Mugalu, Democratic Republic of the Congo; the other 5 appointees are: Bishop Lizardo Estrada Herrera, O.S.A., Peru, Rampeoane Hlobo, S.J., Kenya; the Reverend Sister Linah Siabana, S.M.N.D.A., Christine Nathan, Switzerland; Carlos A. Nobre, Brazil.
The Dicastery, established by Pope Francis in 2016 and currently led by Cardinal Michael Czerny, serves as the Vatican’s primary engine for social justice, overseeing the Church’s response to migration, economic inequity, and environmental crises.
The New U.S. Appointees
The four members working in America bring a wealth of expertise in theological ethics, migration, and human rights:
| Name | Role & Institution | Specialization |
| Fr. Daniel Groody | Associate Principal, University of Notre Dame | Theology of migration and refugee advocacy. |
| Dylan Corbett | Executive Director, Hope Border Institute | Catholic social teaching at the U.S.-Mexico border. |
| Meghan J. Clark | Asst. Chair of Theology, St. John’s University | Intersections of human dignity and solidarity. |
| Léocadie Lushombo | Professor, Santa Clara University | Theological ethics and the "Synod on Synodality." |
Highlights from the Appointees
Father Daniel Groody
A renowned expert on human displacement, Fr. Groody is the author of A Theology of Migration, which featured an introduction by Pope Francis. He expressed his commitment to the Dicastery’s mission, noting:
"The work... is vital to informing the Church’s response to the world’s most vulnerable people and the most pressing global challenges of our time."
Dylan Corbett
Based in El Paso, Corbett’s work focuses on the humanitarian reality of the border. Bishop Mark J. Seitz praised the appointment as a "recognition of faithful leadership." Corbett remarked that the Pope remains deeply attentive to "God’s work in border communities" to create a more compassionate world.
Meghan J. Clark
Having previously collaborated with the Vatican on the "Doing Theology from the Existential Peripheries" project, Clark stated she is eager to continue her work on integral ecology and the dignity of the marginalized.
Léocadie Lushombo
A member of the Teresian Association, Lushombo emphasizes that human flourishing is the "glory of God." Her focus remains on recognizing every person as imago Dei (the image of God), asserting that faith is inseparable from the pursuit of justice.
Mission of the Dicastery
The Dicastery's primary role is to assist the Holy Father in his mission to promote the "weakest, the least, and the excluded." By integrating these four leaders, the Holy See continues to emphasize the importance of academic rigor combined with "boots-on-the-ground" advocacy for human rights and care for our common home.
Notre Dame University Statement - Vice president and associate provost Rev. Daniel Groody, C.S.C., appointed by Pope Leo XIV to Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human DevelopmentMarch 30, 2026
Pope Leo XIV greets Rev. Daniel Groody, C.S.C. (Courtesy of Vatican Media)
Pope Leo XIV has appointed Rev. Daniel Groody, C.S.C., the vice president and associate provost for undergraduate education and professor of theology and global affairs at the University of Notre Dame, as a member of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, the Vatican announced today.
Established by the late Pope Francis in 2016, the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development supports the Church’s worldwide efforts in the areas of human dignity and human rights, economic justice, care for creation, migration and displacement, as well as peace, conflict and humanitarian crises.
As a dicastery member, Father Groody will contribute to the body’s ongoing discernment process that will help orient the Church’s mission and priorities. He will continue in his roles at Notre Dame while serving the dicastery.
While numerous Notre Dame faculty members have served the Vatican as consultants to dicasteries and have been named to pontifical academies and commissions, Father Groody’s appointment is a distinct honor, noted University President Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C.
“To be called upon by the Holy See to serve in this capacity is a testament to Father Groody’s deep commitment to leadership in service of the most vulnerable among us. This appointment is also an affirmation of Notre Dame’s ongoing contributions to Catholic social thought, to integral ecology and to forming leaders dedicated to the common good,” Father Dowd said. “I am profoundly grateful for Father Groody’s dedication to the University and to the Church, and I am confident that his leadership will be a tremendous blessing as he helps to guide the Church in these areas.”
The most notable precedent in Notre Dame history is the appointment of then-President Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C., as a member of the Pontifical Council for Culture by Pope St. John Paul II in 1983.
“I am truly honored and humbled by Pope Leo’s appointment,” Father Groody said. “My vocation is to serve, together with my colleagues at Notre Dame and around the world. The work of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development is vital to informing the Church’s response to the world’s most vulnerable people and the most pressing global challenges of our time.”
Father Groody’s academic and pastoral work has focused in part on migration, theology, refugees and human displacement — areas that are directly relevant to the mandate of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. An internationally recognized expert on migration, Father Groody is also an award-winning author, teacher and documentary film producer. He has written four books and numerous articles and has edited or co-edited five books. His works have been translated into nine languages.
Father Groody’s most recent book, “A Theology of Migration: The Bodies of Refugees and the Body of Christ,” includes an introduction written by Pope Francis and received first-place recognition from the Catholic Press Association.
This announcement follows Father Groody’s appointment under Pope Francis in 2025 to the General Council of the Laudato Si’ Higher Education Center in Castel Gandolfo, which is now known as Borgo Laudato Si’.
In that role, Father Groody helps shape the vision, direction and formation of the center, as well as advising on initiatives and global partnerships. He also plays an essential role in Notre Dame’s recently announced partnership with the Vatican’s Laudato Si’ Center to establish a Global Alliance dedicated to integral ecology and global sustainability.
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