Rome: Pope Francis has appointed the Vatican City State’s first female secretary-general. He has appointed a religious sister to the position of secretary-general of the authority that governs Vatican City State.
Sister Raffaella Petrini (52) is the first woman to be selected as the Vatican City State Administration’s number two official, a position normally held by a bishop. She rises to become the Vatican’s highest-ranking female official.
Sister Rafaella’s position places her at the head of the city-state which includes the Vatican’s museums, police, health department, post office, and pharmacy. The city state’s health directorate took a leading role in responding to the Covid-19 pandemic inside the Vatican, including a vaccination campaign and the introduction of vaccine passes.
She was born in Rome and is a member of the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist. She is an expert in Catholic social teaching, with a particular focus on health care, and has served as an official at the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples since 2005.
She has lectured in social sciences at the Angelicum (the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas) in Rome and at the Camillianum, the International Institute for Pastoral Theology of Health Care.
Sister Rafaella’s appointment is Francis’ latest attempt to diversify the Vatican’s male leadership. Throughout his pontificate, he has made gradual but steady progress, however in the last twelve months, he has increased his efforts.
