Pope tweaks a law allowing a woman to head the Vatican City State, months after a nun was appointed

ROME — Pope Leo XIV addressed a technical issue on Friday within a Vatican law that arose following Pope Francis’ appointment of the first woman to lead the Vatican City State administration.

Leo amended a law from 2023 to remove a requirement stating that the president of the Vatican City State administration must be a cardinal.

In February, Francis appointed Sister Raffaella Petrini, a 56-year-old Italian nun, as the president of the city state. This decision was part of Francis’ efforts during his papacy to promote women to key leadership roles within the Vatican, marking the first time a woman had been appointed as governor of the 44-hectare territory in the heart of Rome.

However, Petrini’s appointment presented new technical and legal challenges as her predecessors had all been cardinal priests.

For instance, Petrini was not invited to present the economic report of the Vatican City State to the closed-door cardinal meetings before the conclave that elected Leo in May.

By modifying the law on Friday to allow a non-cardinal to hold the position of president of the Vatican administration, Leo indicated that Petrini’s appointment was not an isolated case. He emphasized the importance of shared responsibility and collaboration within the church hierarchy in governing the territory.

Petrini’s role involves overseeing the main revenue streams for the Holy See, including the Vatican Museums, as well as managing infrastructure, telecommunications, and healthcare for the city state. She leads the Vatican City State commission responsible for approving laws, budgets, and accounts for the territory.

While women have made progress in attaining high-level positions within the Vatican under Francis’ leadership, there has been no indication of changes to the male-only priesthood rules.

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