Sister Helen Alford, OP, the
daughter of James and Margaret Tinneny Alford of London, England, is
a Dominican nun,
economist and academic leader serving as President of the Pontifical
Academy of Social Sciences and Dean of Social Sciences at the Angelicum
in Rome.
She earned a PhD from
Cambridge University and is working toward making the Catholic Church
social teaching relevant in the modern world. She was appointed
President of the Pontifical Academy for Social Sciences by Pope Francis
in 2023. In that capacity she works with Catholic and non-Catholic top
thinkers across the world in diverse fields like economics, law and
health care to address the challenges of society. She works with the
Pope to shape the Academy’s priorities and serves as the keynote
reference point for understanding how the Church responds to global
issues.
Sister Helen with Pope
Leo XIV. Photo:
Vatican Media.
Sr.
Prof. Helen Alford, President of Pontifical Academy of Social Science,
and Prof. Joachim von Braun, President of Pontifical Academy of
Sciences, had an Audience with Pope Leo XIV on Saturday February 14,
2026.Themes discussed with the Holy Father included artificial
intelligence, climate change, health and related equity and ethical
issues, as well as freedom of science, and other themes. Source:
Pontifical Academy of Sciences News. Photo:
Vatican Media.
In a message
to the Academy, April 1, 2026, Pope Leo wrote:
“Your work will
contribute to the building of a global culture of reconciliation and
peace. A peace that is not merely a fragile absence of conflict but
the fruit of justice born of authority placed humbly at the service
of every human being and the entire human family.”
Sister Helen was interviewed
April 15, 2026 by Robert Duncan of Vatican Access, a Catholic News
Service Podcast. During the 2 hour and 15 minute podcast Sister Helen
reflected on growing up in a devout Catholic family, her foundation as
an engineer, her path into the Dominican order, and her work at the
Vatican engaging global experts across disciplines.
The interview focused on
Catholic social teaching and its potential to reframe church thinking
about human dignity, systems, and responsibility. Specifically
addressing:
• Why
today’s dominant intellectual frameworks may be incapable of solving
modern crises.
• The
principle of subsidiarity and how it restores agency in a system-driven
world.
• Why
Catholic social teaching remains largely unknown—even within the Church.
• The
relationship between prayer and action in times of global instability.
• Whether
a new “way
of thinking” is needed to address the scale and complexity of today’s
problems.
