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 ...

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

Preparations for the conclave to find a new pope have accelerated with the installation of the chimney at the Sistine Chapel ...

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 ...