John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI, and previous curial norms did not assign women religious as prefects of dicasteries. It was considered inappropriate for governing offices that require sacramental authority, particularly in doctrinal, episcopal, or clerical oversight.
en.news:
Leo XIV appointed today Sister Tiziana Merletti, the former Superior
General of the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor, as Secretary of the
Dicastery for Religious.
Born in Pineto, Italy, in 1959, Sister
Merletti professed her vows in 1986. She holds a law degree and a
doctorate in canon law. She currently teaches canon law at the
Pontifical Antonianum University.
Canon 129 § 1 of the Code of
Canon Law says that power in the church should be exercised by "those
who have received Holy Orders."
The Prefect of the Dicastery for Religious is already a woman: Sister Simona Brambilla, who was appointed in January 2025.
SilereNonPossum.com
warns that a dicastery governed almost exclusively by women may
struggle to understand the dynamics specific to male institutes.
There is a "fear Sister Merletti shows an excessive bent towards 'judicial activism'."
On
several occasions Sister Merletti has advanced a distinctly "feminine
vision of power" [whatever that may be], warning against "entrenched
models" and advocating "synodal-style processes."
In an interview
with Città Nuova she once said: "We women want to do our part, express
ourselves differently, and move processes forward with our own
sensibility. I understand it’s hard to make room for us, because we see
things in a way that can blow up established frameworks."
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