Pope Francis has made history by appointing the first woman to head a major Vatican office. Italian nun Sister Simona Brambilla has been named prefect of the department responsible for overseeing all of the Catholic Church's religious orders.
This groundbreaking appointment is part of Pope Francis' efforts to increase women's leadership roles within the church. While women have previously been appointed to secondary positions in some Vatican offices, this is the first time a woman has been named prefect of a dicastery or congregation of the Holy See Curia, the central governing body of the Catholic Church.
