Pope Francis on Wednesday appointed three women as members of the Catholic dicastery for bishops.
This is the first time women would be appointed into the dicastery.
The female members are Raffaella Petrini, a nun, and secretary-general of the governorate of the Vatican City State; Yvonne Reungoat, a nun and former superior-general of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians; and Maria Lia Zervino, president of the World Union of Catholic Women Organisations.
The members of the dicastery assist in the selection of bishops for dioceses, and they also conduct analyses on position papers regarding opinions on candidates.
The Pope had an interview with Reuters in July, said he wanted to give women more senior and influential positions in the Holy See.
“This way, things are opening up a bit,” the Pope had said.
The three women were among 14 other people appointed to the dicastery for bishops and the appointment lasts for five years.
The other 11 appointed are cardinals, bishops, and priests.
Meanwhile, the development comes months after Petrini was appointed as the first female secretary-general of the governorate of Vatican city state.
The secretary-general is the “second-ranking position in the government of the Vatican City State”.
With agency report
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