NY Times: Pope Names Nun to Head a Vatican Department, a First for a Woman
By Elisabetta Povoledo
Pope Francis on Monday appointed Sister Simona Brambilla to head the Vatican office that oversees religious orders for both men and women — including more than a quarter of the world’s priests — making her the first woman to reach the No. 1 position in an office in the Holy See.
The choice reflects Francis’ avowed aim to give women greater leadership roles in the Roman Catholic Church. He has named several women to high-ranking positions, including the director of the Vatican museums. Sister Brambilla is the first prefect of a department of the Roman Curia, as the central administration of the church is known. …
…“It’s definitely a positive shift at the Vatican,” Kate McElwee, the executive director of Women’s Ordination Conference, said of Sister Brambilla’s appointment. However, she too was perplexed about the role of the pro-prefect. “It just proves that there’s still some kinks to work out and hoops that women have to go through to assume these positions at the Vatican,” she said.