Pope Francis has appointed Sister Simona Brambilla as the first woman to lead a major Vatican office, naming her prefect of the Dicastery for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life.
The appointment, announced on Monday, marks a historic milestone in the Pope’s efforts to elevate women to leadership roles within the Catholic Church.
This dicastery oversees all religious orders within the Church, including the Jesuits, Franciscans, and Mercy nuns, as well as newer religious movements. Brambilla, 59, now holds responsibility for 600,000 Catholic nuns and 129,000 priests belonging to religious orders globally.
“This should have happened long ago, but thank God,” said Thomas Groome, a professor of theology at Boston College. He called the appointment a symbolic step towards greater inclusivity, adding that Brambilla could technically be made a cardinal, although the Pope paired her with a male co-leader, Cardinal Ángel Fernández Artime, as “pro-prefect.” Theologically, the head of the dicastery must perform sacramental functions reserved for ordained men, which may explain the decision.
The dual appointment drew mixed reactions. Natalia Imperatori-Lee, chair of the religion and philosophy department at Manhattan University, welcomed Brambilla’s role but criticised the inclusion of a male co-prefect.
“One day, I pray, the Church will see women for the capable leaders they already are,” she said.
Brambilla is a member of the Consolata Missionaries and previously worked as a nurse and missionary in Mozambique. She led her order as superior from 2011 to 2023 before being appointed secretary of the religious orders department. Her promotion follows Pope Francis’ 2022 reforms allowing laypeople, including women, to head Vatican dicasteries.
One significant challenge Brambilla will face is the decline in the number of nuns worldwide, which has dropped from 750,000 in 2010 to 600,000 last year. Her appointment is part of Pope Francis’ broader efforts to demonstrate women’s leadership potential within the Church, though he has upheld the ban on female priests and dampened hopes for the ordination of women as deacons.
Since Francis became Pope, the percentage of women in Vatican leadership roles has risen from 19.3% in 2013 to 23.4% today.
Notable appointments include Sister Raffaella Petrini, the first female secretary general of the Vatican City State, and Barbara Jatta, the laywoman overseeing the Vatican Museums. Other women, such as Sister Alessandra Smerilli and Sister Nathalie Becquart, also hold prominent positions in the Vatican hierarchy.
Brambilla’s appointment is widely seen as a step towards recognising women’s contributions to the Church, even as the debate over their ordination continues.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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