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Raffaella Petrini

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Her Excellency Sister
Raffaella Petrini
FSE
President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State & President of the Governorate of Vatican City State
Incumbent
Assumed office
1 March 2025
Preceded byCardinal Fernando Vérgez Alzaga
Secretary General of the Governorate of Vatican City State
In office
4 November 2021 – 1 March 2025
Preceded byBishop Fernando Vérgez Alzaga
Succeeded byArchbishop Emilio Nappa [it] & Giuseppe Puglisi-Alibrandi [it][1]
Personal life
Born (1969-01-15) 15 January 1969 (age 56)
Rome, Italy
Education
Known forProfessor at the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas
Religious life
ReligionCatholic
InstituteFranciscan Sisters of the Eucharist (FSE)

Raffaella Petrini FSE (born 15 January 1969) is an Italian Catholic religious sister who has served as president of the Pontifical Commission and Governorate of Vatican City State since March 2025. She was Secretary General of the Governorate of Vatican City State from 2021 to 2025. She is the first woman to hold those positions, two of the highest-ranking in the government. She is a member of the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist.

Biography

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Raffaella Petrini was born in Rome on 15 January 1969,[2] and graduated with a degree in political science from the Libera Università Internazionale degli Studi Sociali (LUISS) in Rome.[3][4] She then studied at the Barney School of Business at the University of Hartford (Connecticut), receiving a masters degree in organizational behavior in 2001.[5][6][7] She entered the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum) in 2008, earning a licentiate 2011 and a doctorate in 2014.[6] She was later appointed professor there and taught courses in welfare economics and the sociology of economic processes.[3][4]

From 2005 to 2021, Petrini worked on the staff of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.[3] On 4 November 2021, Pope Francis appointed her secretary general of the Governorate of Vatican City State,[8] the first woman to hold that position.[3] He later noted that she was the highest-ranking woman in the world's smallest state.[9] On 13 July 2022, Pope Francis appointed women as members of the Dicastery for Bishops for the first time, including Petrini, Yvonne Reungoat, and María Lía Zervino.[10][11]

On 15 February 2025, Pope Francis named Petrini president of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State and president of the Governorate of Vatican City State, effective 1 March.[12][13] She was the first woman to occupy these positions.[14][a]

Her authority was automatically suspended along with that of most Curial appointments upon the death of Pope Francis on 21 April 2025.[16] His successor Pope Leo XIV confirmed her role on 9 May, the day after he took office.[17]

Notes

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  1. ^ Because the statutes governing her positions did not allow for the appointment of a non-cardinal, Pope Francis gave her explicit authority over the two men named on 25 February, effective 1 March, to succeed her as secretaries general of the Governorate of Vatican City State,[1] and on 21 November Pope Leo XIV modified the statutes of the Pontifical Commission to allow for the appointment of non-cardinals.[15]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Per la prima volta un laico, il giurista Puglisi Alibrandi, nominato segretario generale del Governatorato. Stesso incarico anche a mons. Nappa". Faro di Roma (in Italian). 25 February 2025. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
  2. ^ "Sr Raffaella Petrini appointed Secretary General of Vatican Governorate". Vatican News. 4 November 2021. Archived from the original on 23 March 2025. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d Rodari, Paolo (4 November 2021). "Vaticano, per la prima volta una suora nominata segretario del Governatorato". la Repubblica. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  4. ^ a b Verdú, Daniel (4 November 2021). "El Papa nombra a una mujer como 'número dos' del Gobierno del Vaticano". El País. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  5. ^ "UHart Graduate Appointed First Female Secretary-General of Vatican City State". University of Hartford. 17 November 2021. Archived from the original on 4 March 2025. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  6. ^ a b "Alumni: Sr. Raffaella Petrini, F.S.E." Angelicum. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  7. ^ Coppen, Luke (13 July 2022). "Who are the women appointed to the Vatican's Dicastery for Bishops?". The Pillar. Archived from the original on 4 March 2025. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
  8. ^ "Rinunce e nomine, 04.11.2021" (Press release). Holy See Press Office. 4 November 2021. Archived from the original on 4 November 2021. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
  9. ^ "Exclusive: Pope to give women a say in appointment of bishops". Reuters. 6 July 2022. Archived from the original on 6 June 2023. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
  10. ^ White, Christopher (13 July 2022). "Pope Francis names three women to Vatican office that recommends new bishops". National Catholic Reporter. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  11. ^ "Rinunce e nomine, 13.07.2022". Holy See Press Office (Press release). 13 July 2022. Archived from the original on 12 August 2023. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
  12. ^ "Pope Francis: A woman will head the Vatican Governatorate". Vatican News. 19 January 2025. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
  13. ^ "Rinunce e nomine, 15.02.2025" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 15 February 2025. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
  14. ^ O'Connell, Girard (15 February 2025). "Pope Francis appoints an Italian nun as the first woman governor of Vatican City". America. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
  15. ^ "Lettera Apostolica in forma di «Motu Proprio» del Sommo Pontefice Leone XIV sulla Composizione e Presidenza della Pontificia Commissione per lo Stato della Città del Vaticano, 21.11.2025" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 21 November 2025. Retrieved 21 November 2025.
  16. ^ Beltrán, Edgar. "Who stays in the Roman curia?". The Pillar. Retrieved 30 April 2025.
  17. ^ "Pope Leo XIV leaves members of the Curia in office for the time being". Katholisch.de. 9 May 2025. Retrieved 24 November 2025.
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