In an historic first for the Vatican, Pope Francis on Monday named a woman to head a major Vatican office.

The pope appointed Sister Simona Brambilla, an Italian nun, to become prefect of the department responsible for all the Catholic Church’s religious orders.

The decision marks a major step in the pope’s plan to give women more leadership roles within the male-dominated clergy. Prior Brambilla’s appointment, never before has a woman been named prefect of a dicastery or congregation in the curia, the governing organ of the Catholic Church.

Since the start of Pope Francis's pontificate, the presence of women in the Vatican has increased. According to overall data covering both the Holy See and Vatican City from 2013 to 2023, the percentage of women has risen from 19.2% to 23.4%.

Known officially as the Dicastery for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, the office is responsible for every religious order within the church.

Brambilla, 59, a member and former superior general of the Consolata Missionary Sisters, has been secretary of the Vatican department for religious and consecrated life since 2023.

Brambilla previously trained as a nurse before entering religious life. She served as amissionary in the African nation of Mozambique in the late 1990s. She eventually returned to her native Italy, where she taught at the Pontifical Gregorian University in its Institute of Psychology.

Last month, Pope Francis named Brambilla a member of the 16th Ordinary Council of the General Secretariat of the Synod alongside Argentinian laywoman María Lía Zervino. They are the only two women and non-bishops on the 17-member council.

The Associated Press reported that the novelty of the appointment, coupled with the theological implications involved, forced Pope Francis to simultaneously name as a co-leader — or “pro-prefect” — Cardinal Angel Fernandez Artime.

The appointment lists Brambilla first as “prefect” and Fernandez second as her co-leader — theologically necessary since the prefect must be able to celebrate Mass, something that can only be done by men.

Clemente Lisi is the executive editor of Religion Unplugged. He previously served as deputy head of news at the New York Daily News and a longtime reporter at The New York Post. Follow him on X @ClementeLisi.