The canon lawyer and Franciscan sister joins a growing number of women now shaping Vatican policy
In one of his first leadership appointments as pope, Leo XIV has chosen Sister Tiziana Merletti to serve as Secretary of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life. This is a significant role within the Vatican, overseeing religious orders, congregations and secular institutes across the global Church.
Sr. Tiziana, a canon lawyer and longtime member of the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor, will now work alongside Sister Simona Brambilla, who earlier this year became the first woman to head a Vatican dicastery. The fact that two women religious are now leading this department is a powerful sign of growing trust in the leadership of women within the Church.
The dicastery plays a key role in shaping and supporting the mission of consecrated life, which includes around 600,000 women religious worldwide.
Born in 1959 in Pineto, Italy, Sr. Tiziana entered religious life in 1986 and went on to earn a doctorate in canon law from the Pontifical Lateran University. She later served as the superior general of her congregation and has been active in both teaching and advising, most recently as a professor of canon law and a consultant with the International Union of Superiors General, a Rome-based organization that represents the leaders of Catholic women’s religious orders around the world.
Continuing Francis’s Vision
Pope Leo’s decision to appoint a woman religious to a high-ranking role continues the trajectory laid by Pope Francis. Through his reform of the Roman Curia, Francis opened the door for laypeople and women to hold top leadership positions that had traditionally been reserved for bishops and cardinals.
During his papacy, more women assumed senior roles, in the Vatican than ever before, including Sister Simona Brambilla, Sister Alessandra Smerilli, and other trailblazers. Sister Tiziana's appointment suggests that Pope Leo values that progress and may seek to build on it.
Leadership Rooted in Service
The International Union of Superiors General responded to the announcement with enthusiasm, calling Sister Tiziana’s appointment a gift to their global network. In their statement, they praised her commitment to justice and integrity in consecrated life and offered their prayers as she steps into this new role.
Sister Tiziana now becomes the third woman to serve as a Secretary in a Vatican dicastery, joining a small but growing number of women appointed to top leadership positions under Popes Francis and Leo XIV.
