On Monday, Pope Francis appointed Sister Simona Brambilla, an Italian nun, as the first woman to lead a major Vatican office, naming her prefect of the department overseeing all religious orders within the Catholic Church.
This appointment is a significant step in Francis’ ongoing effort to increase women’s leadership roles in the church.
While women have held deputy positions in various Vatican offices, Brambilla’s role as prefect marks the first time a woman has led a dicastery or congregation within the Holy See Curia, the church’s central governing body.
The Vatican Media confirmed the historic nature of the appointment, referring to Brambilla as “the first woman prefect in the Vatican.” The Dicastery for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, the office she will lead, is one of the Vatican’s most influential, responsible for overseeing religious orders such as the Jesuits and Franciscans, as well as newer movements.
To recognize the theological implications of her appointment, Francis also appointed Cardinal Ángel Fernández Artime, a Salesian, as a co-leader or “pro-prefect.” However, the official Vatican announcement lists Brambilla as the first prefect, with Fernández second. This is necessary because the prefect must be able to perform certain sacramental functions, such as celebrating Mass, which are traditionally reserved for men.
Brambilla, 59, is a member of the Consolata Missionaries and had served as the department’s deputy since last year. She succeeds Cardinal Joao Braz de Aviz, who is retiring. Brambilla’s appointment is made possible by Francis’ 2022 reform of the Holy See’s constitution, which opened up the possibility for laypeople, including women, to head dicasteries.
A trained nurse, Brambilla previously worked as a missionary in Mozambique and led her religious order as superior from 2011 to 2023. She was appointed secretary of the religious orders department in 2023.
This appointment is part of Pope Francis’ broader effort to highlight how women can take on leadership roles within the church, even though the priesthood remains restricted to men. Women have long played critical roles in Catholic institutions, particularly in schools, hospitals, and faith transmission, but many have voiced concerns about their second-class status within the church.
While Pope Francis has upheld the ban on female priests and discouraged the ordination of women as deacons, the number of women in leadership roles in the Vatican has increased significantly under his papacy. Women now account for 23.4% of the Vatican workforce, up from 19.3% in 2013, with 26% of positions within the Curia held by women. Notable women leaders include Sister Raffaella Petrini, the first female secretary general of the Vatican City State, and Barbara Jatta, the head of the Vatican Museums.
Other women, such as Sister Alessandra Smerilli and Sister Nathalie Becquart, hold significant roles within the Vatican’s development office and the Synod of Bishops.
