Pope Francis appointed a woman on Thursday to head up the governorate of the Vatican, as he forges ahead with a mission to achieve greater gender equality in the Church.
The pontiff appointed Franciscan sister Raffaella Petrini as the new secretary-general of the governorate, making her the first woman to ever hold the post.
PETRINI, 52, will be responsible for overseeing administrative operations, including the Vatican museums, post office, and police, as she becomes the highest-ranking woman in the world’s smallest state.
The National Catholic Reporter online newspaper said the role is traditionally held by a bishop.
Francis, 84, has repeatedly said he wants women to play a greater role in the Roman Catholic Church.
In January he changed the law to allow them to serve as readers at liturgies, altar servers and distributors of communion — but stopped short of saying the change could one day open the door to female priests.
