Pope Francis has appointed Sister Simona Brambilla, an Italian nun from the Consolata Missionaries, as the first woman to lead a major Vatican office. She will head the Dicastery for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, overseeing all Catholic religious orders. This appointment aligns with the Pope’s efforts to increase women’s roles in the Church’s governance.
Brambilla will work alongside Cardinal Ángel Fernández Artime, who has been named Pro-Prefect due to the necessity for sacramental functions that only men can perform under current rules. This historic appointment reflects broader efforts by Pope Francis to elevate women’s leadership in the Vatican, despite maintaining the ban on female priests.