On Monday, Pope Francis appointed the first woman to head one of the main Vatican offices. An Italian nun, Sister Simona Brambilla, became Prefect of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life. TASR informs about it according to the agencies AP and Vatican News.
Brambilla will be responsible for all religious orders, from the Jesuits and Franciscans to smaller congregations. Due to potential theological consequences, Francis simultaneously appointed Cardinal Ángel Fernández Artimo as co-leader (pro-prefect) of the dicastery.
This is a significant step in Francis’ intention to give women more leadership roles in church management. They have already held important posts in some Vatican offices, but until now none has been prefect of a dicastery or congregation of the Curia of the Holy See, the central governing body of the Catholic Church. In the period from 2013 to 2023, the proportion of women in the Vatican increased from 19.2 percent to 23.4 percent.
The appointment published in the Vatican daily bulletin is Brambilla listed first as “Prefect” and Fernández second as her fellow brother. From a theological point of view, this is necessary: the prefect must be able to celebrate Mass and perform other sacramental functions currently performed only by men.
Brambilla (59) belongs to the female part of the Consolata Missionary religious order. She received her doctorate at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, where she was also an associate professor. She made her eternal vows in 1999 and worked as a missionary for three years in Mozambique. From 2011 to May 2023, she was elected Superior General of her congregation twice in a row. He will replace 77-year-old Cardinal Joao Braz de Aviz, who is retiring, as prefect.
