Pope gave women Vatican roles, but held back on wider changes

By Reuters
April 22, 2025
A Catholic nun lights candles following the death of Pope Francis, in front of the Mother Teresa Cathedral in Pristina, Kosovo April 21, 2025. —Reuters
A Catholic nun lights candles following the death of Pope Francis, in front of the Mother Teresa Cathedral in Pristina, Kosovo April 21, 2025. —Reuters

VATICAN CITY: One of the most long-lasting impacts of Pope Francis’ pontificate may be his appointment of more women than ever before to top Vatican positions.

From hospital as he was battling double pneumonia in February 2025, the pope appointed Sister Raffaella Petrini to a role akin to governor of Vatican City, a first. Weeks before that, he named Sister Simona Brambilla as the first woman to lead a major Vatican department, asking her to oversee the world’s Catholic religious orders.

But Francis, who was elected pope in 2013 and died on Monday aged 88, also disappointed some advocates for greater roles for women in the wider Church by putting off the question of allowing women to be ordained as clergy.