New Haven, CT — The Vatican announced Nov. 24 that Pope John Paul II has named Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson as a consultant to the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. Anderson is the only American among ten new appointments to the pontifical council and will serve a five-year term.

"It is an honor to represent the nearly 1.7 million members of the Knights of Columbus on the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. This appointment acknowledges the Order's efforts to work together with all people of good will to build a global culture of peace," said Anderson, who also serves on the Pontifical Council for the Laity and the Pontifical Council for the Family.

Instituted by Pope Paul VI in 1967, the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace promotes the Church's social teaching and Gospel message on peace and justice issues throughout the world. Among its many programs is the celebration of the World Day of Peace, held annually on January 1. The council also studies current trends in such areas as disarmament and the arms trade, human rights and the role of Catholics in the political arena.

"Pope John Paul II has stressed that the dignity of the human person must be the foundation of the Church's social teaching. Promoting this will continue to be central to the work of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace," said Anderson. "The Knights of Columbus and the Church in America will benefit from my service on this council as I seek to find greater applications for its teachings in the charitable and benevolent work of the Knights and the Church."

The Knights' commitment to furthering the Church's social teaching can be found at the grassroots level, where members in more than 13,000 local units annually raise and contribute $128 million to charity and volunteer 60 million hours of service. Earlier this year, the Knights of Columbus provided 2,000 wheelchairs to landmine victims and other people with disabilities in Afghanistan. In 2002 the Knights of Columbus established the $2 million Pacem in Terris (Peace on Earth) Fund. Annual earnings from the fund are given to the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem for peace initiatives in the Holy Land and to support the Christian community there. In 2001 the Knights received the Champion of Peace Award from the Path to Peace Foundation, an adjunct of the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations.