Pope Leo XIV is beginning to make moves in the Roman Curia, and his first high-level appointment is a woman.
The appointee is Sister Tiziana Merletti, and she will serve as Secretary of the Dicastery for Consecrated Life.
She is 65 years old, holds a doctorate in canon law, and brings significant leadership experience, having led her congregation—the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor—for nearly a decade.
Merletti will replace Sister Simona Brambilla as Secretary in the dicastery. Brambilla was elevated by Pope Francis to the position of prefect in January 2025, making her the head of the department and the first woman to hold that role.
Thus, Sister Tiziana will become the third-ranking official, following the prefect, Brambilla and the pro-prefect, Spanish Cardinal Ángel Fernández Artime.
With her appointment, two of the top three leaders of this dicastery are women, though women remain a minority throughout the department. They will be tasked with making decisions that affect the 770,000 religious men and women around the world—of whom nearly 75% are women.
CA Trans. CRT
