Pope Francis exchanging pleasantries with Sr. Simona Brambilla, the Superior General of the Consolata Missionary Sisters

Pix: CNS/L’Osservatore Romano

By Segun Adeyanju

Pope Francis has appointed Sister Simona Brambilla as the first woman to lead a major Vatican office, naming her Prefect of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life.

This department oversees all Catholic religious orders, including the Jesuits, Franciscans, and Mercy nuns.Brambilla, a 59-year-old Consolata Missionary, previously served as the dicastery’s secretary.

Her appointment follows Francis’ 2022 Vatican reform, which allowed laypeople, including women, to lead dicasteries.

Worthy to note is that longside Brambilla, Cardinal Ángel Fernández Artime was named Pro-Prefect, a move seen as a compromise since only ordained men can perform sacramental duties.

Brambilla’s selection marks a historic shift in Vatican leadership, reinforcing Francis’ efforts to elevate women’s roles within the Catholic Church.

However, while the percentage of women in Vatican leadership has risen under his papacy, the Church maintains its ban on female priests and deacons.

A trained nurse and former missionary in Mozambique, Brambilla faces significant challenges, including the declining number of nuns worldwide, which has dropped from 750,000 in 2010 to 600,000 in 2023.

Her leadership will be closely watched as she navigates the future of religious life in the Church.

This historic appointment aligns with Pope Francis’s efforts to include more women in leadership roles within the Church.