Professor Meghan J. Clark, Ph.D., Named to Prestigious Vatican Social Justice Panel

Meghan J. Clark, Ph.D., Professor and Assistant Chair, Department of Theology and Religious Studies, St. John’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, has been named to a prestigious Vatican social justice ministry—the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. 

A globally recognized expert in Catholic social teaching and moral theology, Dr. Clark is one of 11 new members of the dicastery, established by Pope Francis in 2016. The dicastery, an administrative office within the Roman Curia—the central governing body of the Church—supports the Church’s efforts in human rights, economic justice, environmental stewardship, migration, humanitarian crises, and more.

The dicastery is led by Cardinal Michael Czerny, S.J. Together, members contribute to the body’s discussions on the Church’s humanitarian mission and priorities.

Dr. Clark is one of four prominent American theologians whose elevations to the dicastery by Pope Leo XIV were announced on March 30. Joining Dr. Clark are Rev. Daniel Groody, C.S.C., Ph.D., Vice President and Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education, the University of Notre Dame; Léocadie Lushombo, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Theological Ethics, the Jesuit School of Theology, Santa Clara University; and Dylan Corbett, Executive Director, the Hope Border Institute in El Paso, Texas.

Mr. Corbett received the St. Vincent de Paul Medal at St. John’s 2024 Vincentian Convocation for his years of work with refugees along the US-Mexico border. 

“I am honored and humbled to be appointed by the Holy Father, and welcome the opportunity to collaborate, serve, and support the important work being done by Cardinal Czerny and the entire dicastery,” Dr. Clark said. “I am humbled to be alongside such esteemed colleagues—all deeply committed to promoting the social teachings of the Church—with particular attention to the dignity of the marginalized, especially migrants; the common good, and integral ecology.” 

Dr. Clark has been a St. John’s faculty member since 2011. In 2022, she worked with the dicastery’s division for migrants and refugees on a project titled “Doing Theology from the Existential Peripheries.” That project built on the belief that people from marginalized backgrounds possess a wisdom capable of nurturing and advancing Christian thought.

She has worked with the Vatican in other roles, including serving on a team assisting the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity and serving as an expert for the Holy See’s Mission to the United Nations.

Dr. Clark’s new assignment takes that 2022 research effort to new depths. Under Popes Francis and Leo XIV, the Vatican has increasingly highlighted the just treatment of migrants as a defining issue for the Church. 

“As a moral theologian, I work on Catholic social teaching, seeking to examine the intersections of human dignity, solidarity, and development,” Dr. Clark said. “I am grateful for the opportunity to serve the dicastery and the Church in this new way.”

Teresa Delgado, Ph.D., Dean, St. John’s College, and Professor, Department of Theology and Religious Studies, said the Vatican appointment reflects Dr. Clark’s exceptional scholarship and her commitment to the principles of St. John’s Vincentian mission. 

“We are honored that one of our own will bring her expertise and pastoral heart to this vital Vatican dicastery, serving alongside distinguished colleagues from around the world to advance the Church’s social teaching,” Dean Delgado said. “It is a testament to the caliber of Dr. Clark’s scholarship and the service that defines the St. John’s faculty.”