With the appointment of Sister Alessandra Smerilli as Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, Pope Leo XIV brings the number of women at the top of the Roman Curia to three, thus confirming the line traced by Pope Francis. The announcement, which arrived on Tuesday 30 June 2026, is a strong signal that the path of inclusion and valorization of the female role in the Church is destined to continue.
The path had been opened by Pope Francis with the appointment, in January 2025, of Sister Simona Brambilla as head of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life. Bergoglio had thus broken a centuries-old tradition by entrusting the leadership of a Dicastery to a woman for the first time. A revolutionary gesture, made possible by the reform of the Curia with the Apostolic Constitution Praedicate Evangelium (2022), which had opened the door to lay people, men and women, to lead the dicasteries.
Furthermore, on March 1, 2025, Pope Francis also appointed Sister Raffella Petrini as president of the Governorate of the Vatican City State and of the Pontifical Commission for the Vatican City State.
Leo XIV took up his legacy and, in addition to having announced that next November 1st, a woman, Montserrat Alvarado, will replace Paolo Ruffini – who will retire due to age limits – as head of the Dicastery for Communication, promoted Sister Smerilli – who was already Secretary of the Dicastery since 2021 – to prefect. She has thus taken a further step, demonstrating that the inclusion of women at the top is not an exception, but a new practice.
Leo For some functions, in fact, the so-called “potestas” is necessary, which is specific only to the ordained ministry.
Sister Smerilli’s choice is not random. Salesian of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, 51 years old, is a well-known economist, professor at the Auxilium in Milan. Her commitment to the issues of social justice, civil economy and inclusion make her the ideal figure to lead a Dicastery that deals with migration, environment, justice and peace. In 2021 she had already been appointed Secretary of the Dicastery and had coordinated the economic task force of the Vatican Commission for Covid-19.
Leo XIV had made no secret of his intentions. In the book interview with journalist Elise Ann Allen, he declared: «I hope to continue in Francis’ footsteps also in appointing women to leadership roles at different levels in the life of the Church».
In this sense, therefore, the appointment of Sister Smerilli is much more than a simple change at the top of a Dicastery. It is confirmation that the impulse given by Pope Francis to the presence of women in the decision-making roles of the Church has become a structural element of the pontificate of Leo XIV. It is proof that the Church continues on its path of renewal, recognizing the fundamental role of women not only as collaborators, but as guides and decision-makers. The third female prefect is not an isolated case, but a piece of a broader plan of continuity and growth.
