Pope Francis has appointed Greg Crafter AO as a Knight of the Order of St Gregory the Great.

Announcing the awards, Adelaide Archbishop Patrick O’Regan said the Order of St Gregory the Great was one of the highest awards for lay people, bestowed on Catholic men and women deemed to have made a significant contribution to the Catholic Church.

A lawyer before entering State Parliament, Mr Crafter served as the Member for Norwood for 14 years, seven as Education Minister. Since becoming involved with the Young Christian Workers movement as a young man, he has continued his active involvement in the local parish and the Adelaide Archdiocese, including chair of the Clergy Care Council, chair of the Diocesan Finance Council and as a member of the Order of Malta.

At a national level, Mr Crafter served as chair of the National Catholic Education Commission for seven years during a period of complex political engagement with the Federal Government which led to long-term funding benefits for Catholic schools across Australia.

He was a director of the Little Company of Mary, which runs Calvary Health Care across Australia, for nine years, and has been heavily involved in fundraising for the Mary Potter Hospice in Adelaide.

In 2015 Mr Crafter was appointed by the Bishops Conference to the Truth, Justice and Healing Council which was established by the Australian bishops to liaise with the Royal Commission into Institutional Child Sexual Abuse.

In the wider community, he has held a number of positions on key government boards including the South Australian Housing Trust, was president of the Geneva-based International Baccalaureate Organisation and a member of the Council of the University of Adelaide which awarded him an honorary doctorate for his contribution to education.

Mr Crafter was nominated for the papal honour by Bishop Greg O’Kelly on behalf of the Adelaide Archdiocese.