Pope Leo XIV has appointed this Tuesday, August 25, Patrick E. Kelly, Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus, as a member of the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, according to a statement from the Holy See Press Office. The Pope thus brings to the Vatican body responsible for family and life matters an American layman with an extensive background in the pro-life movement and in the defense of religious freedom.
Kelly has been the XIV Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus since March 2021, a Catholic fraternal organization founded in the United States and now present internationally, with more than two million members. Before assuming his current role, he served as Deputy Supreme Knight and, for eleven years, as Vice President for Public Policy of the organization.
Nine years leading the board of March for Life
Kelly’s career has been especially linked to the defense of unborn life. Between 2012 and 2021, he chaired the board of directors of March for Life, the organization responsible for the massive March for Life held annually in Washington, one of the main pro-life mobilizations in the United States.
Since 2013, he has also been a member of the board of directors of the National Catholic Bioethics Center, a U.S. Catholic institution dedicated to bioethical issues and the application of the Church’s moral doctrine in the healthcare field.
Kelly also serves as a consultant to several bodies of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). These include the Committee on Pro-Life Activities, the Committee on Religious Liberty, and the Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth. The Episcopal Conference continues to include him among the consultants of these bodies.
“Until abortion becomes unthinkable”
His stance on abortion has remained explicit during the pontificate of Leo XIV.
When presenting this year the results of the annual Knights of Columbus and Marist survey on abortion in the United States, Kelly recalled Leo XIV’s words on life as an “inestimable gift” and the fundamental ethical obligation to welcome and protect unborn life.
Kelly then stated that the mission of the Knights of Columbus would continue to be guided by these principles “until abortion becomes unthinkable”.
The organization also reported that its members had raised more than 19 million dollars for centers assisting pregnant women and their children through the Aid and Support After Pregnancy (ASAP) program. The Knights have also funded more than 2,000 ultrasound machines for these centers in the United States and Canada.
Trained at the John Paul II Institute on Marriage and Family
Kelly’s academic profile is directly related to the competencies of the dicastery to which Leo XIV has just appointed him.
He holds a Master’s degree in Theology from the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family at The Catholic University of America, as well as a Doctorate in Law from Marquette University and a degree in Economics from the same institution. He is married to Vanessa and they have three daughters.
Kelly was also the first executive director of the Saint John Paul II National Shrine in Washington, after the Knights of Columbus acquired the facilities in 2011. The organization notes that he led the renovation of the center and its subsequent transformation into a shrine dedicated to the Polish Pope.
Religious freedom and relations with the Holy See
Before taking on the main responsibilities of the Knights of Columbus, Kelly also pursued a career in law, the military, and U.S. public administration.
He worked as senior advisor to the United States Special Envoy for International Religious Freedom, a role in which he served as the State Department’s main interlocutor with the Holy See on religious freedom issues. He also held legal positions related to national security on the House Intelligence Committee and at the Department of Justice.
Kelly also served for 24 years in the United States Navy, both on active duty and in the reserves. As a military lawyer, he specialized in international and operational law and went on to head the international law unit at the Naval War College. He retired from the reserves in 2016.
The appointment announced this Tuesday thus brings to the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life a layman whose career combines experience in defense of life, marriage and family, religious freedom, and institutional service to the Church, in addition to currently leading one of the largest lay Catholic organizations in the world.