Pope Leo XIV Sustainability Medal Laureate

Cardinal Michael Czerny, S.J., is Prefect Emeritus of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. Born in Brno, in the former Czechoslovakia, he moved with his family to Montréal, Canada, where he entered the Society of Jesus in 1963. He was ordained a priest in 1973 and received a doctorate in human sciences, social thought and theology from the University of Chicago in 1978.

Throughout his ministry, Cardinal Czerny has focused on social justice, human rights, migration and refugees. In 1979, he founded the Centre of Jesuits for Faith and Social Justice in Toronto. He later served in El Salvador, where he directed the Institute for Human Rights of the Central American University (UCA) and contributed to the United Nations' efforts to help end the country's civil war.

From 2002 to 2010, he worked in Africa, where he founded and directed the African Jesuit AIDS Network (AJAN), supporting Jesuit initiatives addressing HIV and AIDS. He subsequently returned to Rome and served as a consultant to the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.

In 2017, Pope Francis appointed him Undersecretary of the Section for Migrants and Refugees of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. He played an important role in the Synod on Youth (2018) and the Synod for the Amazon (2019).

In October 2019, he was ordained a bishop by Pope Francis and created a cardinal at the Consistory of 5 October 2019, with the title of Cardinal Deacon of San Michele Arcangelo.

From January to April 2022, he served as Prefect ad interim of the Dicastery. On 23 April 2022, Pope Francis appointed him Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, a position he held until 1 September 2026.