Pope Francis on Wednesday appointed three women responsible for the appointment of bishops to the Vatican department, an unprecedented event in the history of the Catholic Church.
In total, the Pope appointed 14 new members to the Dicastery of the Bishops, including Maria Lia Zervino, president of the World Association of Catholic Women’s Organizations, and nuns Raffaella Petrini and Yvonne Reungoat, secretary-general of the government of the Vatican City State. , former Superior General of the Congregation of the Daughters of Mary Helping Christians.
The measure was predicted by the Pope in an interview with Reuters in early July. Francis, however, said on that occasion that he would nominate two women, not three, to the commission responsible for appointing bishops.
This will be the first time in history that women have a say in the appointment of Catholic bishops, a male-only position.
Francis seeks to expand the domain of women in Vatican institutions, but command of the Vatican’s religious documents is reserved for men.
Women in leading positions in the Vatican include Alessandra Smerilli, secretary of the Holistic Human Development Service Dicastery; Nathalie Becquart, Undersecretary of the Bishops’ Assembly; Barbara Jatta, director of the Vatican Museums; and Cristiane Murray, deputy director of the Vatican Press Office.
source: Noticias
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