(ZENIT News / Vatican City, 05.22.2025).- Pope Leo XIV has appointed Sister Tiziana Merletti as the new Secretary of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, an body that oversees the global life of religious orders. Her nomination, announced on May 22, brings to the forefront not only her individual expertise but a broader shift toward empowering women within the Vatican’s leadership structure.
The appointment of a woman as secretary is not without precedent—but it is significant. What makes this moment historic is that Sister Merletti will serve directly under another woman: Sister Simona Brambilla, the current Prefect of the Dicastery. Brambilla herself once held the secretary role until early 2025, suggesting a continuum of female leadership that is rare within the Roman Curia, where top roles have long been held by clergy.
Also notable is the Dicastery’s organizational structure, with Cardinal Ángel Fernández Artime currently acting as Pro-Prefect, highlighting an evolving model of collaborative leadership that crosses traditional gender lines.
Sister Tiziana brings to the role a formidable blend of legal acumen, ecclesial experience, and lived religious life. Born in Pineto, Italy, in 1959, she entered the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor in the 1980s and made her first religious profession in 1986. Her academic path began with a law degree from the University of Teramo and culminated in a doctorate in Canon Law from the Pontifical Lateran University—a combination of civil and ecclesiastical formation that places her among the most qualified canonists in the Church today.
From 2004 to 2013, she served as Superior General of her religious institute, gaining hands-on leadership experience at the international level. In recent years, she has served as a professor at the Pontifical Antonianum University in Rome, while also advising the International Union of Superiors General (UISG), a key organization representing women religious around the world.
Her work has consistently emphasized the intersection of law, justice, and the prophetic dimension of consecrated life—an approach likely to inform her vision as she steps into her new Vatican role. Those who know her describe her as precise, deeply committed to the Church’s mission, and unafraid to challenge outdated assumptions about women’s roles in ecclesial life.
While the announcement may seem like an administrative footnote, its implications ripple outward. The Pope’s nomination is another subtle but firm gesture in reshaping the culture of Vatican governance, placing women not just in consultative roles, but in strategic decision-making positions within the Church’s central machinery.
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