- Sister Tiziana Merletti has been appointed Secretary of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, marking different milestone for women successful Vatican leadership
- She brings decades of acquisition successful canon instrumentality and spiritual life, having antecedently served arsenic Superior General of the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor
- Her assignment reflects Pope Francis' ongoing efforts to elevate women’s roles wrong the Church, pursuing historical reforms that let laypeople, including women, to pb Vatican departments
Pope Leo XIV has appointed Sister Tiziana Merletti, erstwhile Superior General of the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor, arsenic Secretary of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life.
The Dicastery is liable for overseeing spiritual orders, congregations, and secular institutes wrong the Catholic Church.

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As Secretary, Sr Merletti volition service nether Sister Simona Brambilla, who became the archetypal pistillate to pb a Vatican section erstwhile she was appointed Prefect of the Dicastery successful January.
From 2023 to 2025, Sr Brambilla had held the relation of Secretary—the presumption present occupied by Sr Merletti.
The Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery is Cardinal Ángel Fernández Artime.
Sr Tiziana Merletti’s inheritance successful canon law
Born connected 30 September 1959 successful Pineto, cardinal Italy, Sr Merletti made her archetypal spiritual assemblage successful 1986 successful the Institute of the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor.
She holds a grade successful Law, obtained successful 1984, and a Doctorate successful Canon Law from the Pontifical Lateran University successful Rome, which she completed successful 1992.
Her extended enactment acquisition includes serving arsenic Superior General of her spiritual institute from 2004 to 2013.
Currently, she is simply a Professor astatine the Faculty of Canon Law astatine the Pontifical Antonianum University successful Rome and besides works arsenic a canon lawyer with the International Union of Superiors General.
Women successful Vatican enactment
Sr Merletti is the 3rd pistillate to service arsenic Secretary wrong a dicastery of the Roman Curia, pursuing Sister Alessandra Smerilli astatine the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development and her predecessor, Sister Simona Brambilla.
Her assignment reflects the progressive changes introduced by Pope Francis' Apostolic Constitution Praedicate Evangelium, which allows laypeople, including women, to pb dicasteries and presume the relation of Prefect—a presumption traditionally reserved for cardinals and archbishops.
Under Pope Francis’ leadership, the percent of women moving wrong the Holy See and Vatican City State has accrued from astir 19.2% to 23.4%.

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Pope Leo breaks soundlessness connected Ukraine and Gaza war
Legit.ng earlier reported that Pope Leo XIV has utilized his archetypal Sunday blessing astatine the Vatican to code conflicts astir the world, urging an extremity to the wars successful Gaza and Ukraine.
His inaugural nationalist quality marked a instrumentality to papal engagement aft months of health-related absences by his predecessor, Francis.
By spotlighting the wars successful Gaza and Ukraine successful his archetypal large address, the pontiff underscored the Vatican's relation successful maintaining motivation and diplomatic relevance successful ongoing planetary conflicts. Pope Leo XIV delivered his archetypal Sunday blessing from the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica.
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Source: Legit.ng