A Crack in the Stained-Glass Ceiling: Pope Leo Rewrites Vatican Law, Paving Way for Women at the Top
In a historic move that reshapes the landscape of Vatican governance, Pope Leo XIV has rewritten a 2023 law that inadvertently barred women from fully serving as the head of Vatican City State. The original statute required the president of the governorate to be a cardinal, a role exclusively reserved for men. This technicality created an immediate complication when Pope Francis appointed Sister Raffaella Petrini as the first woman to lead the 44-hectare territory, a role that oversees critical operations from the Vatican Museums to its infrastructure. Sister Petrini’s groundbreaking appointment exposed the hidden barriers within the system, most notably when she was excluded from delivering the state’s economic report at a closed-door meeting of cardinals preceding the conclave that elected Leo.
By revising the law, Pope Leo has signaled that Sister Petrini’s appointment was not a mere symbolic gesture but a substantive shift toward “shared responsibility” in the face of the Vatican’s “increasingly complex and pressing” governance needs. This change formally opens the path for women to reach the highest managerial positions within the world’s smallest state, marking a significant step toward gender inclusion in the Church’s administrative ranks. However, this crack in the stained-glass ceiling has its limits; as the Associated Press notes, the Catholic Church’s doctrine still reserves the priesthood exclusively for men, with no indication that this foundational rule will change.
