In January, Francis made his highest-ranking female appointment, naming Sister Simona Brambilla prefect of the Vatican's Dicastery for Religious, which oversees nuns, monks and religious orders. The ...

the pope appointed Sister Raffaella Petrini to a role akin to governor of Vatican City, a first. Weeks before that, he named Sister Simona Brambilla as the first woman to lead a major Vatican ...

Throughout his papacy, Francis took steps to appoint and integrate women into leadership roles in the Vatican.

Pope Francis greets Sister Simona Brambilla, prefect of the Vatican Dicastery for Religious, June 5, 2017 in Clementine Hall at the Vatican in this file photo. (Credit: L’Osservatore Romano ...

On April 15 the Vatican Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life issued a statement, signed by its prefect, Italian Sister Simona Brambilla, saying they had ...

More significantly, he named two nuns to head two of the most important Vatican offices: Sister Simona Brambilla as head of the Vatican office responsible for all the world’s Catholic religious ...

Weeks before that, he named Sister Simona Brambilla as the first woman to lead a major Vatican department, asking her to oversee the world’s Catholic religious orders. But Francis, who was ...

Pope appointed more women than ever before to Vatican roles Francis disappointed some advocates of greater roles for women Pope did not advance issue of women deacons He reaffirmed ban on women ...