(ANS – Vatican) – Pope Leo XIV has appointed a woman to a senior leadership role in the Roman Curia. Sister Alessandra Smerilli, a Salesian religious sister who previously served as secretary of the same dicastery, has been named Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, succeeding Cardinal Michael Czerny.
The Pope had previously expressed, in his only interview during his first year of pontificate with journalist Elise Allen, his intention to “follow in the footsteps of Francis by appointing women to certain leadership roles at various levels within the life of the Church.” This appointment continues that direction, as another woman is entrusted with leadership of a Vatican dicastery.
Third Female Prefect in the Roman Curia
This marks Pope Leo XIV’s second appointment of a woman to a high-level Curial position, following the naming of laywoman Montse Alvarado as Prefect of the Dicastery for Communication. It also represents the third female prefect in the Roman Curia, following Sister Simona Brambilla, appointed by Pope Francis as Prefect of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life el January 6, 2025. At that time, Cardinal Ángel Fernández Artime was appointed pro-prefect.
A parallel transition is also taking place with Cardinal Fabio Baggio, who—according to the Holy See Press Office bulletin—moves from undersecretary for Integral Human Development to pro-prefect of the dicastery, with special responsibility for the Laudato Si’ Center for Higher Education. He will serve alongside Prefect Smerilli, with both appointments taking effect on September 1, 2026.
Work at the Vatican
An economist, academic, and professor at the Auxilium Institute in Milan, Sister Alessandra Smerilli is known for her work in social justice, the social economy, and inclusion. Born in Vasto, Italy, she graduated from Roma Tre University and holds a PhD in Economics from the United Kingdom. She has been a member of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians (Salesian Sisters) since 1997.
She has held several significant roles within the Vatican’s structures. In 2019, she was appointed Councilor of Vatican City State. In 2020, she coordinated the economics section of the Vatican COVID-19 Task Force, established to respond to the global health and socioeconomic crisis caused by the pandemic. In 2021, she became undersecretary for the Faith and Development sector within the Dicastery for the Service of Integral Human Development (DSSUI), later serving ad interim secretary, and in 2022 was confirmed as secretary.
The Dicastery’s Broad Mission
In recent years, Sister Smerilli worked alongside Cardinal Czerny in leading the dicastery headquartered at Palazzo San Calisto in Rome’s Trastevere district. The dicastery was formed in 2017 through the merger of several pontifical councils—Justice and Peace, Cor Unum, Pastoral Care for Migrants and Itinerant Peopley Pastoral Health Care Workers—with the goal of promoting the dignity of the human person in all dimensions.
The dicastery’s mission covers social, humanitarian, health, and environmental concerns, operating as a kind of “ministry of social affairs” for the Holy See. Its global initiatives span five continents under the framework of “integral human development,” structured internally into three main areas: Listening and Dialogue, Reflection and Research, and Communication and Outreach.
In recent years, the dicastery has also addressed emerging global challenges such as artificial intelligence, alongside ongoing concerns including poverty, migration, environmental protection, disarmament, finance, war, justice, and humanitarian aid. It is part of the newly established interdicasterial commission on AI, created in May to promote collaboration and information sharing on this rapidly evolving field, which Pope Leo XIV addressed in his encyclical Magnifica Humanitas.
Source: Vatican News