In March, Pope Francis plans to appoint Sr. Raffaella Petrini as the head of the Governatorate of Vatican City State.
He said this on the Italian talk show Che tempo che fa, Radio Liberty reports.
Thus, for the first time in the history of the Vatican, a woman will head its Governatorate.
Sr. Raffaella Petrini will succeed Cardinal Fernando Vérgez Alzaga, who will turn 80 on March 1 and will retire from his role as President of the Governatorate.
Since 2021, Petrini has been serving as Secretary General of the Vatican's Governatorate.
“The work of women in the Curia (the main administrative body of the Holy See and the Vatican) has progressed slowly but effectively. Women are doing a better job than we are,” the Pope said on a talk show.
In early January, the Pope appointed Sr. Simone Brambilla as as Prefect of the Dicastery for Consecrated Life. She became the first woman in history to head a Vatican department.