Pope Leo XIV has appointed Sister Raffaella Petrini as a member of the Commission for Reserved Matters, the Holy See Press Office announced in a Feb. 3 statement.
She is the first woman to serve on the commission, created in 2020 by Pope Francis, which is responsible for awarding financial contracts in confidential areas of the Vatican.
Petrini, born in Rome on Jan. 15, 1969, is 57 years old and has an academic and management background. She is a member of the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist and a noted economist.
The Commission for Reserved Matters plays a strategic role in the control and allocation of contracts that are particularly sensitive for the Vatican City State, and this appointment underscores the growing presence of women in positions of responsibility within the Holy See.
First woman to head the Vatican Governorate
Since March 1, 2025, Petrini has been president of the Governorate of the Vatican City State, the highest position in the civil administration of the small pontifical state, which has approximately 600 inhabitants and nearly 2,000 employees. With this appointment, she became the first woman to assume the administrative leadership of the Vatican.
The appointment was announced on Jan. 19, 2025, during an interview given by Pope Francis to television host Fabio Fazio on the RAI public television program “Che tempo che fa” (“What’s the weather like?”). Petrini succeeded Cardinal Fernando Vérgez Alzaga, who stepped down from the presidency upon reaching the age of 80.
As president of the governorate, Petrini is responsible for managing the Vatican’s public services, overseeing infrastructure, security, health care, and the Vatican Museums, in addition to chairing the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State.
Necessary changes in the law
Pope Francis amended the Fundamental Law of the Vatican City State and other regulations to grant Petrini the same powers as her predecessors, who until then had always been cardinals.
Among the changes introduced, it was established that the president of the governorate could confer specific powers and particular tasks to the secretaries general, a position she holds alongside Emilio Nappa and Giuseppe Puglisi-Alibrandi.
Profile and academic background
A graduate in political science from the Guido Carli International Private University of Social Studies, Petrini holds a doctorate in social sciences from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum) in Rome and a master’s degree from the University of Hartford. She currently also works as a professor of Welfare Economics and Sociology of Economic Processes.
She has previously worked at the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples and was appointed secretary general of the governorate in November 2021. She is also a member of the Dicastery for Bishops and the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See, the body responsible for managing Vatican finances.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
