Sister Brambilla is to lead the Catholic Church's department for all religious orders, one of the most powerful institutions as it has responsibility for traditional orders such as Franciscans and Jesuits, as well as new and small movements within the Catholic Church.
"Sister Simona Brambilla is the first woman to become prefect in the Vatican", read the headline in the official media organ Vatican media.
Thus, Pope Francis shows that he means business in giving women increased influence within the Catholic Church.
Previously, women have held high positions, but often as number two in the Catholic Church's strict hierarchy. The appointment of Sister Brambilla marks a historically significant change of course in the Catholic Church's nearly 2,000-year-old history.
