Professor Roza Pati - Only U.S. member of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace at the Vatican

St. Thomas University School of Law is well-recognized at a global level for its faculty leadership in the intercultural human rights and social justice. Since July 2012, Professor Roza Pati has been a member of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace at the Vatican, appointed by then Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI, and confirmed by Pope Francis.

Professor Roza Pati with Cardinal Peter Turkson and Pope Francis 

Dr. Roza Pati is the only member hailing from the United States. The Council, a Vatican body dedicated to the promotion of social justice, has as its main goal advocating peace and justice around the world consistent with the Gospel and the Church's social teaching. In addition to Cardinals and Archbishops members of the Council, Dr. Pati joins an elite few of lay people -- leaders of global influential institutions-- such as Dr. Michel Camdessus of France, former and the longest serving Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, and Dr. Juan Somavia of Chile, former Director-General of the International Labor Organization.

Professor Pati, a prolific scholar and public servant--former Member of Parliament of Albania and Cabinet Member serving as Secretary of State for Youth and Women of Albania, is among the pioneers in establishing the rule of law and democracy in her native country, and also in the struggle for an order of human dignity through combating modern slavery. In her role as an active member of the Pontifical Council, she assists in identifying "the signs of the times," and contributes to developing solutions benefiting our common humanity. Through her work at the Council and beyond she continues to foster global dialogues from Colombia to Hong Kong, to Argentina, to Romania, to India, to the United Nations to promote the dignity of the human person through political freedom and social justice-- indispensable to the attainment of true world peace.

To this end, Dr. Pati notes: “I am humbled by this appointment and I will not spare a moment from trying my very best to explore solutions to the problems facing humankind today. Above all, through my work on the ground, writings, research and presentations around the world I will continue to address the global affront against human dignity that human trafficking and other forms of injustice represent. In this quest for the protection of the dignity of the human person in harmony with all God’s creation, St. Thomas Law School, my colleagues, my students and I point out clearly that we are all members of a single community: humankind, and we turn the tide of this battle towards the rule of law, peace, justice and dialogue amongst religions, cultures and civilizations, races and ethnicities.”