Pope Leo XIV has appointed Sr. Tiziana Merletti as the Secretary of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life. The Dicastery is responsible for overseeing orders and religious congregations, as well as secular institutes. Sr. Merletti will serve under Sr. Simona Brambilla, who was appointed to lead the Dicastery in January, becoming the first woman to ever hold this position.
Sr. Tiziana Merletti is a Franciscan Sister of the Poor with a strong background in law and canon law. She earned a degree in Law in 1984 and a Doctorate in Canon Law from the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome in 1992. Sr. Merletti served as Superior General of her religious Institute from 2004 to 2013 and is currently a Professor at the Faculty of Canon Law at the Pontifical Antonianum University in Rome.
Sr. Merletti’s appointment is part of a growing trend of women taking on leadership roles in the Vatican. With Pope Francis’ Apostolic Constitution Praedicate Evangelium, laypeople, including women, can now lead dicasteries and become prefects. During Pope Francis’ pontificate, the percentage of women working in the Holy See and the Vatican City State has increased from about 19.2% to 23.4%. Sr. Merletti is the third woman to hold the position of Secretary within a dicastery of the Roman Curia