Pope Francis Appoints First Woman to Head Vatican Office
Pope Francis has appointed Sister Simona Brambilla, an Italian nun, as the prefect of the Vatican department responsible for all Catholic Church’s religious orders. This marks a major step in Francis’ aim to give women more leadership roles in governing the church. Brambilla is the first woman to hold such a position, and her appointment is a significant milestone in the Catholic Church’s history.
The department, known as the Dicastery for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, is responsible for every religious order, including the Jesuits, Franciscans, and Mercy nuns. Brambilla’s appointment means that a woman is now responsible for the women who do much of the church’s work, as well as the 129,000 Catholic priests who belong to religious orders.
Thomas Groome, a senior professor of theology and religious education at Boston College, noted that while the appointment is a small step, it symbolically shows an openness and new horizon for women in the church. Groome also pointed out that nothing theologically would prevent Francis from naming Brambilla a cardinal, since cardinals don’t technically have to be ordained priests.
However, Francis also named a co-leader, or “pro-prefect,” Cardinal Ángel Fernández Artime, a Salesian, to the position. This has been seen as an indication that the pope may not be ready to take the next step and name a woman a cardinal.
Brambilla, 59, is a member of the Consolata Missionaries religious order and has served as the No. 2 in the religious orders department since 2023. She takes over from retiring Cardinal Joao Braz de Aviz, 77.
The appointment is part of Francis’ efforts to give women more leadership roles in the church. He has made significant changes to the Vatican’s founding constitution, allowing laypeople, including women, to head a dicastery and become prefects. Brambilla’s appointment is the latest move by Francis to show by example how women can take leadership roles within the Catholic hierarchy, albeit without allowing them to be ordained as priests.