In first, Pope Francis names three women to Dicastery for Bishops

Pope Francis named two nuns and a laywoman to the Vatican department that helps choose new bishops, the Holy See said Wednesday, the first time women have been allowed to serve on the body.

The appointment of the three women to the Dicastery for Bishops – nuns Raffaella Petrini and Yvonne Reungoat, and lay woman María Lia Zervino – comes as Francis seeks to usher in more gender equality within the Church's positions of government and responsibility.

The 85-year-old pope has repeatedly said that women should play greater roles within the Vatican's hierarchy and has broken centuries of precedent to place women in some key spots previously held by men.

At: https://www.batimes.com.ar/news/world/in-first-pope-names-three-women-to-dicastery-for-bishops.phtml

Raffaella Petrini (Italy), Yvonne Reungoat (France), and María Lia Zervino (Argentina) - the first three women appointed to the powerful Dicastery for Bishops in Roman Catholic Church history.

The Roman Curia's new constitution – the culmination of Pope Francis' effort to restructure the Vatican's powerful governing body – allows female Catholics to head up Vatican departments.