Pope Francis appointed three women to the authority in the Vatican that ordains bishops on Wednesday in a historic step, transmits news agency MIA.
The two nuns Raffaella Petrini and Yvonne Reungoat, as well as María Lía Zervino have been appointed to the Dicastery for Bishops, the papacy announced. 53-year-old Petrini has already held the position of general secretary since last November making her the second-highest ranking official in the Vatican.
Reungoat is the former superior general of the Salesian Sisters of Don Bosco, while Zervino was the president of the World Union of Catholic Women’s Organizations. The 85-year-old Argentinian had hinted at this step in an interview last week without giving specific names.
The members of the Dicastery of Bishops have hitherto always been exclusively male. A number of men were also appointed to the Dicastery in the same announcement, but in future the three women will also play a role in the appointment of bishops.
