Pope Names First-Ever Woman Prefect
Vatican City: Pope Francis has appointed Sister Simona Brambilla, formerly the Secretary of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, as its Prefect, as announced by the Vatican Press Office. This appointment marks the first time a woman has held the position of Prefect in the Catholic Church.
According to Ansa News Agency, Sister Brambilla, born in Monza in 1965, has had a distinguished career within the church. She initially trained as a professional nurse before entering the Institute of the Consolata Missionary Sisters in 1988, making her first religious profession in 1991. Sister Brambilla furthered her education by obtaining a Licentiate in Psychology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in 1998. Her contributions to the church include her work in Mozambique and as a professor at the Pontifical Gregorian University.
Her leadership roles have included serving as Superior General of the Institute of the Consolata Missionary Sisters from 2011 to 2023. In 2019, she became a member of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life and was later appointed its Secretary. Her current appointment as Prefect represents a significant milestone in the church’s history.
Vatican News highlights that this appointment is part of a broader trend under Pope Francis’s leadership, which has seen an increase in the presence of women in Vatican roles. The percentage of women in the Holy See and Vatican City State has risen from 19.2% to 23.4% from 2013 to 2023. The Apostolic Constitution Praedicate Evangelium of 2022 has facilitated the inclusion of laypeople, including women, in leadership roles within the Vatican.
Pope Francis has previously appointed women to several key positions in Vatican City State, including Barbara Jatta as Director of the Vatican Museums and Sister Raffaella Petrini as Secretary General of the Governorate. The Vatican also has several female Undersecretaries and other significant female leaders, such as Emilce Cuda, Nata€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬¦¡¬¦¡a Govekar, Cristiane Murray, and Charlotte Kreuter-Kirchof.
In December 2024, Sister Brambilla and Mara La Zervino were appointed as members of the 16th Ordinary Council of the General Secretariat, further emphasizing the increasing involvement of women in significant roles within the Vatican.