Pope Francis names three women to Vatican office that recommends new bishops

ROME — Pope Francis on July 13 appointed three women to the Vatican's Dicastery for Bishops, fulfilling a pledge he made earlier this month that for the first time in the office's history, women would be granted a voice in the department tasked with advising the pontiff on which Catholic priests to appoint as bishops across the world. 

Two religious sisters (Italian and French) and an Argentine laywoman were among the names published in the Vatican's daily bulletin announcing the new membership of the dicastery, which also includes 10 bishops and one priest. 

The three women include Franciscan Sister of the Eucharist Raffaella Petrini, the current secretary general of the Governorate of Vatican City State; Sr. Yvonne Reungoat, former superior general of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians; and Maria Lia Zervino, president of the World Union of Catholic Women's Organizations.

As members, the women will be expected to come to Rome roughly twice a month for meetings of the dicastery, at which the members and dicastery officials consider priests that the pope might appoint as bishops.

In an open letter published last year, Zervino encouraged the pope to expand roles for women's leadership in the church's predominantly all-male institutional structures.

"As a woman I feel that something is due to us," she wrote in March 2021. "I think that not enough has been done in taking advantage of the wealth of women who make up a large part of God's people."

"The suitability of women has been demonstrated in civil society, in the economy, in health, in education, in caring for the planet, in the defense of human rights and in many other fields, of course, as well as in the family and catechesis," she continued. "May the desire expressed by you, that women enter decision-making groups together with men, cease to be considered a utopia and become something common in the Church."

In 2019, Reungoat was also named as a full member of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life. Prior to then, all of the members of that dicastery had all been priests and bishops. Petrini, as the number two in the Governorate of Vatican City State, is currently responsible for overseeing the administrative operations of the world's smallest state, which includes the Vatican museums, post office and police.