Carmen Álvarez Cuadrado
Pope Leo XIV has once again appointed a woman to a senior position in the Roman Curia. Salesian Sister Alessandra Smerilli will serve as prefect of the Dicastery for Integral Human Development.
She is the third woman to lead a Vatican department. The most recent appointment was Montserrat Alvarado for the Dicastery for Communication.
Smerilli will take office on September 1, replacing Cardinal Czerny, who turns 80 on July 18, the usual retirement age for cardinals.
Leo is continuing a model first used under Pope Francis, with Simona Brambilla and Cardinal Artime for the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life.
At the time, the arrangement was seen as groundbreaking. It marked the first time a woman had been appointed prefect of a dicastery, with a cardinal serving as pro-prefect, a decision that raised questions about possible tensions with canon law.
Leo XIV has now adopted the same approach. Sister Smerilli will lead the dicastery, with Cardinal Fabio Baggio serving as her deputy. Both are already familiar with the department, which deals with issues such as migration.
