Franciscan sister Raffaella Petrini is now the highest-ranking woman official of the world’s smallest yet one of the most influential states.
FRANCISCAN sister Raffaella Petrini is now the highest-ranking woman official in the Vatican and the first woman to be the Secretary-General of the Governorate of Vatican City State.
The 52-year-old nun was appointed by Pope Francis to be responsible for overseeing administrative operations, including the Vatican Museums, the post office, and the police.
The role, akin to the deputy mayor of a city, is traditionally held by a bishop.
Francis also appointed Italian lawyer Giuseppe Puglisi-Alibrandi as Deputy Secretary-General.
In a statement by the Vatican, Sister Raffaella Petrini was born in Rome on January 15, 1969, and has served as an official at the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples since 2005.
“She holds a degree in political science from LUISS (a prestigious business university in Italy) and a doctorate from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, where she is currently a professor,” the statement reads.
Pope Francis has been vocal in his support for women playing a bigger role in the Church. Earlier in October, Francis pushed for the ordination of women as permanent deacons.
Other women appointees include Sister Alessandra Smerilli, as the interim Secretary of the Vatican's development office, which deals with justice and peace issues.
He named Nathalie Becquart, a French member of the Xaviere Missionary Sisters, as co-undersecretary of the Synod of Bishops, a department that prepares major meetings of world bishops held every few years in February.
Also in February, he named Italian magistrate Catia Summaria as the first woman Promoter of Justice in the Vatican's Court of Appeals.
While these advancements are welcome, few feel that it’s not enough for the Church to step forward in gender equality truly.
Women have yet to vote at Vatican synods or become priests despite Francis declaring that women “should be fully included in decision-making processes” in his New Year’s sermon.
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