On Monday, 30 March, the Holy See announced that Pope Leo XIV had appointed Fr. Daniel Groody, C.S.C., as a member of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. Fr. Groody is the Vice President and Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education at the University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Indiana. He is also a member of the University’s Board of Fellows and the Board of Trustees.

“Fr. Groody’s appointment honors not only his faithful service at the University of Notre Dame, but also his ongoing commitment to integral ecology and the promotion of the dignity of immigrants,” said Br. Paul Bednarczyk, C.S.C., Superior General of the Congregation of Holy Cross. "I am pleased that the Dicastery has recognized this by providing him the opportunity to share his gifts and talents with the universal Church.”

The Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development is charged with promoting "the integral development of the person in light of the Gospel and in line with the Social Doctrine of the Church." It was created on 17 August 2016 by Pope Francis from the union of four pontifical councils that covered the "fields of justice, peace, the safeguarding of all of Creation, as well as in those that concern health and works of charity."

Much of Fr. Groody’s academic and pastoral work has focused on migration and refugee issues. In his book, A Theology of Migration: The Bodies of Refugees and the Body of Christ, he explored the intersection between migration and theology, seeking to “reframe the operative political, social, and cultural narratives through a Eucharistic narrative.” The book drew on his extension work with migrants, which has included collaboration with such institutions as the U.S. Congress, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the World Council of Churches, the Vatican, and the United Nations.

Flowing from his work upholding the dignity of migrants, Fr. Groody has become more engaged on issues of integral ecology. He is one of the leaders spearheading the University of Notre Dame’s partnership with the Vatican’s Laudato Si’ Center for Higher Education on the Global Alliance for Laudato Si’. He was in Rome on 9-10 March for the inaugural meeting of the alliance, which aims to “strengthen cooperation among universities worldwide and connect sustainability leaders in academia and beyond to advance a shared vision for transformative change.”

"I'm humbled and grateful to serve in this role, together with my brothers and sisters in Holy Cross and others around the world, to respond to the needs of all those who suffer and search for a more dignified and humane life," said Fr. Groody. "This appointment flows from everything I have learned as a religious in Holy Cross, and it now draws me into a deeper and wider river of the universal Church as we seek to live out the gospel message as the Body of Christ."

Fr. Groody is the second Holy Cross religious that has been appointed by Pope Leo XIV to advise the Vatican. On 3 July, the Holy Father appointed Fr. Russell McDougall, C.S.C., a consultor of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity. The dicastery is charged with “the promotion, within the Catholic Church, of an authentic ecumenical spirit” as well as contributing “to Christian unity by strengthening relationships with other Churches and Ecclesial Communities.”