ROME — In his first major move to place a woman in a high-ranking position within the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV has appointed Italian Sister Alessandra Smerilli to lead the Holy See office that oversees issues related to migrants, the environment, and global development.
Smerilli, who holds a background in economics, has been serving as the second-in-command at the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. In her new role as prefect, she takes over from Canadian Cardinal Michael Czerny, who is retiring and turns 80 this month.
The appointment signals that Leo intends to continue a pattern established by his predecessor, Pope Francis, who made advancing women into top management roles within the Vatican a deliberate priority in response to growing calls for women to have greater decision-making authority in the Catholic Church.
At the same time, Leo is also following Francis’ approach by naming Cardinal Fabio Baggio as a “pro-prefect” of the same office, where Baggio currently serves as undersecretary. The dual appointments reflect the reality that some leadership functions within Vatican departments require an ordained priest and cardinal.
Baggio was additionally given responsibility for overseeing the Vatican’s Borgo Laudato Si environmental education center, located at Castel Gandolfo near Rome.
The Catholic Church limits ordination to men, and women within the church have long expressed frustration over what many describe as a secondary status — despite the fact that women carry out a significant portion of the church’s day-to-day work, including running schools and hospitals and passing the faith on to younger generations.
