KLINK, John M.

John M. KlinkJohn Michael Klink has served the Catholic Church in official capacities for 30 years, first with Catholic Relief Services in postings in North Africa, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and the Caribbean, and subsequently, as an Advisor to the Permanent Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations for 16 years.

He is also a Consultor for the Pontifical Council for the Family. In 2007 he was elected as President of the International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC) founded by Pope Pius XII in 1951 which serves as the International Migration Commission for the Catholic Bishops’ Conferences and reports to both the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples and the Second Section of the Secretariat of State.

Klink received his Bachelors of Arts degree from Santa Clara University in 1971 and a Masters in English Literature from Georgetown University in 1973.

In his capacity as Director of Catholic Relief Services (CRS) Thailand during the Cambodian conflict, Mr. Klink managed one of the largest refugee programs in its history caring for over 400,000 refugees from Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.

Subsequently, Klink served as a diplomat for the Holy See at the United Nations for 16 years, assisting Cardinal Martino in the arduous negotiations of the Cairo Population Conference, the Beijing Women's Conference and 17 other World Conference forums.

Klink was selected by the White House to be a Senior Private Sector Advisor to serve on official US delegations to a variety of UN meetings and World Conferences in New York, Bali, South Africa, Thailand, and Geneva including those related to efforts to create a comprehensive international ban on human cloning and on the U.S. Delegation to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights. He was also selected as a member of the US Presidential Delegation to the 25th Anniversary of H. H. Pope John Paul II as well as the Beatification of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta with whom he worked in Rome and the Yemen Arab Republic.

Klink is a Knight Commander of the Order of St. Gregory the Great, a Knight of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, a Knight of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, a Knight of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St. George, and a Knight of Sts. Maurice and Lazarus.