In a historic move, Pope Francis appointed Sister Simona Brambilla as the first woman to head a major Vatican office. Brambilla, an Italian nun, will serve as prefect of the Dicastery for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, responsible for overseeing the Catholic Church’s religious orders worldwide.
The decision represents a significant step toward increasing women’s leadership roles in the Church. While women have held deputy positions in the Vatican, this is the first time a woman has been named to lead a dicastery, a key department in the Holy See’s central governance.
Brambilla, 59, has an extensive background in religious leadership. A former missionary in Mozambique, she served as superior of the Consolata Missionaries religious order from 2011 to 2023. Last year, Pope Francis appointed her secretary of the same department she now leads.
The appointment follows Francis’ 2022 reform of the Vatican constitution, which allowed laypeople, including women, to head dicasteries. Brambilla will oversee 600,000 Catholic nuns and 129,000 priests belonging to religious orders, including the Jesuits and Franciscans.
To support her, Francis appointed Cardinal Ángel Fernández Artime as a co-leader, or “pro-prefect,” marking a compromise as Church law restricts women from performing certain sacramental duties required of dicastery heads, such as celebrating Mass.
While the appointment is widely praised, some see it as a missed opportunity to give Brambilla sole leadership. Critics, like Manhattan University’s Natalia Imperatori-Lee, questioned the need for a male co-prefect, arguing that past male leaders have managed both male and female religious orders without additional support.
Brambilla inherits the challenge of addressing the global decline in religious vocations. The number of Catholic nuns has dropped from 750,000 in 2010 to 600,000 in 2024. Addressing this trend will require innovative strategies to sustain the Church’s mission.
This decision underscores Pope Francis’ commitment to expanding women’s roles in Vatican leadership. Since the start of his papacy, the percentage of women in Vatican positions has grown from 19.3% in 2013 to 23.4% today. Women now occupy leadership roles across various offices, including Sister Raffaella Petrini as secretary general of the Vatican City State and Barbara Jatta as head of the Vatican Museums.
While Francis has upheld the Church’s ban on female priests and deacons, this appointment reflects ongoing efforts to integrate women into influential roles within the Catholic hierarchy.
