Overview

• Pope Francis appointed Sister Raffaella Petrini as governor-equivalent of Vatican City in February 2025, marking a historic first for women in that role.
• Sister Simona Brambilla became the first woman to lead a major Vatican department, overseeing Catholic religious orders worldwide.
• Women were granted voting rights at Synod meetings in 2023, with nearly 60 women participating in the October 2024 sessions as full members.
• Despite these advancements, Pope Francis reaffirmed the doctrinal ban on women’s priestly ordination, maintaining traditional barriers to sacred ministries.
• Efforts to study women’s access to the diaconate remain stalled, with two papal commissions failing to reach conclusions or complete their work.