His Holiness Pope Francis says he will appoint women to Dicastery for Bishops

His Holiness Pope Francis with Sister Raffaella Petrini, F.S.E., the Secretary General of the Governorate of the Vatican City State

In the third part of his interview with the Reuters news agency, his Holiness Pope Francis shares his plans to expand the role of women in the Roman Curia, and announces his intention to appoint two women to the Dicastery that assists the Pontiff in the selection of bishops.

By Vatican News

His Holiness Pope Francis has announced his intention to appoint two women to the Dicastery of Bishops, who will therefore be involved in the process of choosing new bishops.

The Pope made the remarks in an interview with Reuters Senior Correspondent Philip Pullella, in response to questions about the presence of women in the Vatican; the new Apostolic Constitution Praedicate evangelium, which reforms the Curia; and about which Dicasteries (Vatican offices) could be entrusted to a lay man or woman in the future.

"I am open should an opportunity arise. Right now, the Governorate has a deputy governor... Now, two women will be going to the Congregation of Bishops, on the commission to elect bishops. In this way, things open up a little bit.”

Pope Francis then added that in the future he sees the possibility of lay people being appointed to lead certain Vatican departments such as the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life, the Dicastery for Culture and Education, or the Vatican Apostolic Library.

The Holy Father recalled that last year he appointed Sister Raffaella Petrini, to the number two position in the Vatican City Governorate, making her the first woman to hold the position.

Women in the Curia

Earlier, in January 2020, the Pope had named Francesca di Giovanni as Undersecretary for the multilateral sector in the Secetariat of State's Section for Relations with States and International Organizations, another first. 

Other notable appointments by Pope Francis include Sister Nathalie Becquart, a French member of the Xaviere Missionary Sisters, as Undersecretary of the Synod of Bishops; and Sister Alessandra Smerilli, of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, as Undersecretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. Sister Carmen Ros Nortes serves as Undersecretary of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life…

This report was originally published on Vatican News website. Please click here to read the full text.