Pope Francis names first woman to head major Vatican office
Pope Francis has named a nun to head a prominent office at the Vatican, the first time a woman has held that position and the latest example of the pontiff adding more women to leadership roles in the Catholic Church.
The pontiff announced Monday that he appointed Sister Simona Brambilla of the Consolata Missionaries to serve as prefect of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life.
Brambilla, 59, previously served as the superior general of the Consolata Missionaries and has served as secretary of the same dicastery since October 2023. She is the first woman appointed prefect of a dicastery of the Holy See.
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A dicastery is a department of the Roman Curia that helps the pope govern the Catholic Church, with its name deriving from a Greek word meaning "court of justice."
"Sr. Brambilla was the second woman to be appointed Secretary of a Vatican Dicastery, following the 2021 appointment of Sr. Alessandra Smerilli to the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development," the announcement explains.
"She has a background that includes missionary experience in Mozambique. She was a professional nurse before joining the Consolata Missionary Sisters Institute, which she led from 2011 to 2023."
Although opposed to the ordination of women as priests, Francis has on multiple occasions elevated women to leadership roles within the Church under his papacy.
In April 2018, the pope appointed three female theologians to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, tasked with defending Catholic doctrine. It marked the first time that women and laity were represented in the CDF, with the Vatican paper L'Osservatore Romano labeling the decision "historic."
In 2020, Francis appointed six women to the Council for the Economy, which was created in 2014 to oversee financial matters in Vatican City. Among them was Ruth Kelly, who had previously served as a minister in the government of former United Kingdom Prime Minister Tony Blair.
"It is wonderful to see the pope's commitment to promoting women to decision-making posts in the Vatican," Kelly told The National Catholic Reporter at the time.
In April 2023, Francis allowed women to become members of the Synod of Bishops, a first for the pontifical advisory body since it was created more than a half-century ago.
Cardinal Mario Grech, secretary general of the Secretariat for the Synod of Bishops, expressed his support for the change, believing that the body would be "enriched" by the new representation.
"As you can see, the space in the tent is being enlarged," said Grech, as quoted by Catholic News Service, while still clarifying that "The Synod of Bishops will remain a synod of bishops."
