The appointment of Simona Brambilla as prefect marks a turning point in the Roman Curia. For the first time, a woman heads a dicastery, which would be the equivalent to the position of minister in a government.
But there are many more women to whom the Pope has given important positions. For example, Raffaella Petrini is in the number two position in the Vatican City State.
POPE FRANCIS
I have seen that in the Vatican, whenever a woman comes in to do work in the Vatican, things improve. For example, the Vice Governor of the Vatican is a woman. The Vice Governor is a woman and things have changed for the better.
In fact, it could happen that when Cardinal Vérgez retires in March, the Pope will promote Sister Raffaella to Governor of the Vatican. Sister Raffaella also has other positions in the curia.
She is within the department that elects bishops, where there are two other women: a French nun, Sister Yvonne, and an Argentine consecrated woman, Maria Lia Zervino. Each one has a different contribution.
MARIA LIA ZERVINO
Member of the Dicastery for Bishops
Sister Raffaella has the background of a lifetime of service to the Holy See.
Sister Yvonne has been a leader of the Salesians for many years. She knows the whole world. She knows bishops, she knows nuncios, she knows the realities of the people.
I have had the privilege in recent years to serve in the World Union of Catholic Women's Organizations, which has given me the opportunity to be with women, with the wealth of women in different cultures, continents…
In the various Vatican departments, there are several female secretaries and undersecretaries, which would be equivalent to positions two and three in responsibility level.
For example, in the Department of Laity, Family and Life, two of the four senior officials are women. In the Department of Integral Human Development, the number two is Alessandra Smerilli, an Italian nun and economist.
Another of the most visible women in recent years is the Frenchwoman Nathalie Becquart. She was the first woman to have the right to vote in the assembly. Forbes Magazine even included her in the list of the 50 most influential women of the year.
The vast majority of women in the curia are religious, although there are also lay women, such as the Argentine Emilce Cuda, secretary of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, or
such as Barbara Jatta, director of the Vatican Museums. In 2016, she became the first woman to hold this position.
CA
TR: GS
