Pope Francis on Monday took a historic step by naming Sister Simona Brambilla, an Italian nun, as the first woman to lead a major Vatican office.
She was appointed as the prefect of the Dicastery for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, which oversees all Catholic religious orders.
This significant move aligns with Francis’ efforts to increase women’s representation in church leadership roles.
While women have previously held second-in-command roles in Vatican offices, Brambilla’s appointment marks the first time a woman has been named as the head of a dicastery within the Holy See Curia, the central governing body of the Catholic Church.
Vatican Media highlighted the groundbreaking nature of this decision with the headline, “Sister Simona Brambilla is the first woman prefect in the Vatican.”
The office Brambilla now leads is crucial, managing the affairs of the world’s Catholic religious orders, including 600,000 nuns and 129,000 priests in religious communities.
Mm
A theology professor at Boston College and advocate for the ordination of women priests, Thomas Groome, praised the development, saying, “It should be a woman. Long ago it should have been, but thank God. It’s a small step along the way but symbolically, it shows an openness and a new horizon or possibility.”
Groome further noted the theological feasibility of elevating Brambilla to the rank of cardinal, a position not restricted to ordained priests.
“Naming as a cardinal would be automatic for the head of a dicastery if she was a man,” he observed.
However, Francis demonstrated caution by simultaneously appointing Cardinal Ángel Fernández Artime, a Salesian, as a co-leader or “pro-prefect” of the dicastery.
The pope likely deemed this necessary to ensure the office’s head could perform sacraments, which, under current church doctrine, only men can administer.
The dual appointment drew mixed reactions. Natalia Imperatori-Lee, chair of the religion and philosophy department at Manhattan University, expressed initial excitement about Brambilla’s promotion but was disheartened upon learning of the male co-leader.
“One day, I pray, the church will see women for the capable leaders they already are,” she said. “It’s ridiculous to think she needs help running a Vatican dicastery. Moreover, for as long as men have been in charge of this division of Vatican governance, they have governed men’s and women’s religious communities.”
Brambilla, 59, is a member of the Consolata Missionaries and brings extensive experience to her new role.
She previously worked as a nurse and missionary in Mozambique and served as her order’s superior from 2011 to 2023 before being appointed as secretary of the religious orders department. Her predecessor, Cardinal Joao Braz de Aviz, retired at age 77.
Her appointment was enabled by Pope Francis’ 2022 reforms to the Vatican’s constitution, which opened the door for laypeople, including women, to head dicasteries.
However, Brambilla faces significant challenges, such as addressing the steady decline in the number of nuns globally. Vatican statistics show their numbers dropped from 750,000 in 2010 to 600,000 in 2023.
Brambilla’s new role is part of a broader shift under Francis’ leadership to integrate women into the church’s hierarchy. While the pope has upheld the ban on female priests and moderated expectations regarding their ordination as deacons, the representation of women in the Vatican has risen.
Since 2013, the percentage of women in Vatican leadership has grown from 19.3% to 23.4%, with women now occupying 26% of roles within the Curia.
Notable female leaders in the Vatican include Sister Raffaella Petrini, the first female secretary general of Vatican City State, and Barbara Jatta, director of the Vatican Museums.
Sister Alessandra Smerilli holds the second-highest position in the development office, while Sister Nathalie Becquart serves as under-secretary in the synod of bishops’ office.
These appointments reflect ongoing, incremental progress in the church’s approach to gender and leadership.
