Pope Leo XIV appointed new members to the International Theology Commission (ITC) on Monday, October 19, for the 2026–2031 term, increasing the number of women on the Vatican advisory body from five to eight.
The new membership includes five laywomen, while the total number of lay representatives has risen to eight. This doubles the number of lay members compared with the previous five-year term.
According to the National Catholic Register, the appointed scholars represent several areas of theology, including biblical studies, patristics, dogmatics and moral theology. The report also noted that some members have publicly expressed views that differ from established Catholic teaching, including positions concerning women’s ordination and the theology of salvation.
Commission Advises the Vatican on Theological Questions
Established by Pope Paul VI in 1969, the International Theology Commission consists of 30 members who assist the Holy See, particularly the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, in examining theological questions and preparing advisory documents.
The commission brings together scholars from different countries and academic backgrounds, including representatives from Asia, Africa and South America. Its membership includes both clergy and laypeople.
Members meet for one week each year to discuss their work, consider ongoing theological debates and address issues facing the Church internationally.
For the 2026–2031 term, Pope Leo has asked the new members and six returning scholars to concentrate on the themes of tradition and the enculturation of the faith.
Five Women Join the Commission as Lay Scholars
Five newly appointed women are among the lay scholars joining the commission for the new term.
Professor Teresa Hyeon Soon Choi — South Korea
Teresa Hyeon Soon Choi is an associate professor at the Institute for Whole Person Education Center at Sogang University in Seoul, South Korea.
Professor Maria Teresa Fattori — Italy
Maria Teresa Fattori is a researcher at the University of Teramo in Italy. Her areas of specialisation include early modern papal history, the governance of Pope Benedict XVI and provincial councils within polycentric Catholicism.
Her current research examines the relationship between the Catholic Church and slavery during the early modern period. She has also published extensively on the early modern Roman Curia, the development of canon law after the Council of Trent and the history of global Catholicism.
Professor Claudia Leal Luna — Chile
Claudia Leal Luna is a full professor at the Pontifical John Paul II Theological Institute for Marriage and Family Sciences in Rome.
Her academic work focuses on human fragility and the methodology of social morality. She is also an alumna of the John Paul II Center for Interreligious Dialogue.
Professor Sara Parvis — Great Britain/Scotland
Sara Parvis is an associate professor at the University of Edinburgh’s School of Divinity, where her work focuses on early Christianity and theology.
A lay Dominican, she has researched the development of early Christian theology and written about Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’.
Professor Anne-Sophie Vivier-Muresan — France
Anne-Sophie Vivier-Muresan is dean of the faculty of theology at the Catholic Institute of Paris.
She holds doctorates in social anthropology, ethnology and Catholic theology. Her specialisms include dogmatic and Trinitarian theology, contemporary Orthodox theology and the theology of religions.
Two Male Lay Scholars Also Appointed
Two newly appointed male scholars are joining the commission as lay representatives.
Professor Boyd Taylor Coolman — United States
Boyd Taylor Coolman is an associate professor in the theology department at Boston College’s Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences.
A historical theologian specialising in medieval Catholicism, he is also the founder of the Boston Colloquy in Historical Theology.
Professor Jan-Heiner Tück — Austria
Jan-Heiner Tück is a German theologian who has served as a professor of dogmatics and dogmatic history at the University of Vienna since 2010.
He also heads the university’s Department of Dogmatic Theology.
Reinhard Huetter Continues for a Second Term
Professor Reinhard Huetter will remain on the commission for another five-year term, bringing the total number of lay representatives to eight.
Huetter is a visiting professor of theology at Duke Divinity School in the United States. His reappointment means he will serve a second consecutive term on the advisory body.
The full membership list for the 2026–2031 cycle is available through the Holy See Press Office.
Commission Has Published 33 Theological Documents
The International Theology Commission was established by Pope Paul VI in 1969, with its status further defined by Pope John Paul II in 1982.
During its years of activity, the commission has published 33 documents with the approval of its president, who is the prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.
These documents contribute to the dicastery’s work and address theological questions relevant to the Catholic Church.
