Pope Francis has appointed Sister Simona Brambilla, 59, as the first woman to head a dicastery of the Roman Curia, continuing his efforts to increase female leadership at the Vatican.
Brambilla, a member and former superior general of the Consolata Missionary Sisters, has served as secretary of the Vatican’s department for religious and consecrated life since October 2023. On Monday, she was named prefect of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life. She will lead the department alongside Cardinal Ángel Fernández Artime, who was named pro-prefect on January 6.
Before entering religious life, Brambilla trained as a nurse and later earned a psychology degree. She served as a missionary in Mozambique in the late 1990s and later taught at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. Brambilla led the Consolata Missionary Sisters’ institute from 2011 until May 2023.
Her appointment adds to a growing list of women in prominent Vatican positions. These include Franciscan Sister Raffaella Petrini, the first woman to serve as deputy head of the Vatican City State; Sister Alessandra Smerilli, secretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development; Sister Nathalie Becquart, undersecretary of the Synod of Bishops; and laywomen Gabriella Gambino and Linda Ghisoni, undersecretaries at the Dicastery for the Laity, the Family, and Life.
Brambilla’s influence extends beyond the dicastery. In December, she was named a member of the 16th Ordinary Council of the General Secretariat of the Synod, alongside Argentinian laywoman María Lía Zervino. They are the only women and non-bishops on the 17-member council.
In her new role, Brambilla will be supported by two undersecretaries: Father Aitor Jiménez Echave, CMF, and Sister Carmen Ros Nortes, NSC.