Pope names couple from Archdiocese of Baltimore to Pontifical Council for the Family

VATICAN CITY – Pope Benedict XVI named Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley of Boston and five other U.S. Catholics to positions on the Pontifical Council for the Family.

Cardinal O’Malley was one of four cardinals and three bishops named to the presiding committee of the council, which is headed by Italian Cardinal Ennio Antonelli.

The Vatican announced the pope’s appointment of new members and consultants for the council Sept. 30.

Ten married couples from 10 different countries were named members of the council. As the U.S. representatives, Pope Benedict chose a professor of moral theology from The Catholic University of America in Washington and his wife, who are the parents of five children. John S. and Claire Grabowski live in the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

Only one married couple – Frank and Julie LaBoda – are among the 18 consultants named to the council. The LaBodas, who live in Cross Plains, Wis., in the Diocese of Madison, are international coordinators for the Retrouvaille program for couples experiencing difficulty in their marriages.

The other U.S. consultant named to the council is Teresa Stanton Collett, a professor at the University of St. Thomas School of Law in Minneapolis. She has focused on the importance of protecting human life and marriage and lectures on marriage, religion and bioethics.