For the first time, the Dicastery for Religious - which deals with everything related to orders, congregations and institutes - has a woman as "number two". Pope Francis has appointed Sister Simona Brambilla, from Brianza, Italy, a psychologist with a missionary past in Africa, as its "secretary". The nun, born in Monza 58 years ago, graduated as a nurse and entered the Missionary Sisters of the Consolata Institute in 1988. In 1998, she obtained a Licentiate in Psychology at the Gregorian, where she took her doctorate in 2008 and where she also taught. In 1999, she went to Mozambique, where she worked in youth ministry. From 2005 to 2011, she is General Councilor of the Institute. From 2011 to 2023, for two terms, she is Mother Superior General. Since 2019 she has been a member of the Dicastery where she now becomes "secretary", taking over from Franciscan Archbishop José Rodriguez Carballo, who was sent to Spain as coadjutor of Merida-Badajoz. Prefect is currently Brazilian Cardinal João Braz de Aviz, 76. Sister Brambilla becomes one of the three highest-ranking women in the Vatican, along with Sister Alessandra Smerilli (Human Development Dicastery) and Sister Raffaella Petrini (Governorate).
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