Pope Leo Names First Female Top Vatican Official | Philadelphia News

Philadelphia News Today | 2 Min News | The Daily News Now! · Jun 30, 2026 · 1m

Pope Leo XIV just made history by appointing Sister Alessandra Smerilli, an economist, as head of the Vatican’s office for migrants, environment, and development — a major step echoing Pope Francis’s legacy of empowering women in Church leadership. Though women remain barred from priesthood, their vital roles in running schools, hospitals, and faith education continue to spark calls for greater inclusion. To balance Vatican protocol, Leo also named Cardinal Fabio Baggio as “pro-prefect” for the same office — a nod to the cardinal’s required role — while also overseeing the Vatican’s…