In a groundbreaking decision, Pope Francis has appointed Sister Simona Brambilla as Prefect of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, the Vatican announced this week.
This historic appointment makes the 59-year-old the highest-ranking woman in the Roman Curia, the administrative body governing the Catholic Church.
Sister Simona Brambilla became the first woman named by Pope Francis to lead a major Vatican department on January 6, 2025. Photo: Consolata Missionaries via Reuters.
This appointment reflects Pope Francis’s commitment to increasing women’s roles within the Vatican. According to ANSA, between 2013 and 2023, the proportion of women employed in the Holy See increased from 19.2% to 23.4% reflecting the pope’s broader vision of inclusivity.
Brambilla was born in Monza, Italy, in 1965. She brings decades of experience to the position. She previously led the women’s branch of the Consolata Missionaries (2011–2023) and holds a degree in psychology. Her career includes mission work in Mozambique and serving as a member of the dicastery she now heads since 2019.
Brambilla joins other trailblazing women in Vatican leadership, including Barbara Jatta, Director of the Vatican Museums, and Sister Raffaella Petrini, Secretary General of the Governorate.
Brambilla replaces Cardinal Joao Braz de Aviz. The historic appointment marks a significant step toward gender equity in the Catholic Church’s leadership.
