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Vatican City — This morning a decision that had been in the works for some time regrettably landed on the desk of the newly elected Pope Leo XIV. The Vatican announced the appointment of Sister Tiziana Merletti—former Superior General of the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor—as Secretary of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life.
Profile of Sister Merletti
Born in Pineto (Province of Teramo) on 30 September 1959, Sister Merletti professed her vows in 1986. She holds a law degree (Teramo, 1984) and a doctorate in canon law (Lateran, 1992). From 2004 to 2013 she led her institute. She currently teaches canon law at the Pontifical Antonianum University and collaborates with the International Union of Superiors General.
The question of potestas gubernandi
Reactions inside the Curia and among religious men and women revive questions aired during the General Congregations that preceded the Conclave: How should the power of governance be understood when exercised by someone who is not ordained? Canon 129 § 1 of the Code of Canon Law reserves that power “to those who have received sacred orders.” Praedicate Evangelium, while opening Vatican offices to lay faithful, has not dispelled the doctrinal and pastoral misgivings voiced by many cardinals, bishops, priests, and lay people.
A rapid succession of appointments
7 October 2023: Sister Simona Brambilla is appointed Secretary of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life.
6 January 2025: Sister Brambilla becomes Prefect.
22 May 2025: Sister Merletti is now chosen as the new Secretary.
Some observers note that, at this pace, the Church may one day need a kind of “blue quotas” to ensure a balanced presence of men and women in senior roles.
Perceived opportunities and risks
Augustinian religious and other Curia members worry that a dicastery governed almost exclusively by women—and, in this case, by women religious—may struggle to grasp the dynamics specific to male institutes. Many view the governance track records of other women religious (notably Sisters Brambilla and Petrini) with a critical eye.
Comments on Sister Merletti’s résumé
Those who have criticized Simona Brambilla over the years remarked, “At least she’s better prepared.” Yet many clerics and laypeople fear Sister Merletti shows an excessive bent toward “judicial activism.” Some Focolare cardinals voiced these concerns during one of the “famous dinners” where bishops belonging to the movement gather. The same critics point to her service on the investigative commission of the “Work of Mary – Focolare Movement.” Some believe her membership compromised impartiality in abuse cases; others, conversely, cite an evident lack of canonical expertise.
On several occasions Sister Merletti has advanced a distinctly feminine vision of power, warning against “entrenched models” and advocating “synodal-style processes.” Such language could antagonize men and women rather than foster complementarity. Sacramental doctrine still bars women from sacred orders—a point Merletti has at times too closely linked to the question of “power.”
In an interview with Città Nuova she said: “We women want to do our part, express ourselves differently, and move processes forward with our own sensibility. I understand it’s hard to make room for us, because we see things in a way that can blow up established frameworks.”
Critical issues raised by these choices
Many voices are calling for:
Clarity on the power of governance: A thorough review—possibly convening the College of Cardinals in Rome—of Canon 129 CIC and Praedicate Evangelium.
Balanced staffing: Criteria that ensure adequate representation of male and female, religious and diocesan, clerical and lay experiences among dicastery officials, thus avoiding imbalances.
Religious men and women placed great hope in the election of a consecrated Pope with solid canonical training, trusting he could secure a future for the Church’s numerous monasteries, convents, and communities. They yearn for a new season of growth founded on formation, not on punishment, sanctions, or receiverships. The Church needs not legalistic severity but a just mercy—one that firmly prosecutes abuse yet also supports and renews communities, distinguishing real wrongdoing from unfounded accusations and making law an instrument of service and protection rather than destruction.
s.F.S. & F.P.
Silere non possum