Pope Francis has named a former head of the Dominicans, Fr Timothy Radcliffe, to the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.
Master of the Dominicans between 1992 and 2001, Fr Radcliffe will serve as a consultor on the pontifical council.
The council is the Vatican body devoted to social justice and human rights.
Fr Radcliffe said justice, peace and mercy are at the centre of Francis’s pontificate.
The Dominican said it is an honour to offer whatever support he could.
Fr Radcliffe helped launch a social justice institute at Blackfriars College at Oxford University, where he lives.