Helen Alvare Named to Pontifical Council

"I am delighted to be asked to serve the Church and the Holy Father in this way," she said.

WASHINGTON, D.C., (Zenit.org) - Benedict XVI appointed Helen Alvare, a law professor at the Catholic University of America, as a consultor for the Pontifical Council for the Laity.

Alvare was appointed to the council for a five-year term. The council has 36 members and 20 consultors.

"I am delighted to be asked to serve the Church and the Holy Father in this way," she said.

"The appointment inspires me to redouble my efforts toward scholarship on the situation particularly of Catholic laywomen and families, insofar as this might be helpful to the universal Church."

Alvare spent 10 years as the pro-life spokeswoman for the U.S. bishops' conference.