In his first appointment of a high-level official of the Roman Curia, Pope Leo XIV named Sister Tiziana Merletti, a canon lawyer, as secretary of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life.
Sister Merletti, a member of the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor, succeeds Sister Simona BrambillaBrambilla, a Consolata Missionary Sister, whom Pope Francis appointed prefect of the dicastery in January. Sister Brambilla is the first woman to head a Vatican dicastery.
The International Union of Women Superiors General (UISGin Italian) thanked Pope Leo and congratulated Sister Merletti on her appointment, which the Vatican announced on May 22.
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As a member of the union's canon law council and the Commission for Safeguarding, jointly managed by the unions of superiors and superiors, "her contributions are a contribution to our global network, promoting justice, care and integrity in consecrated life," the group of superiors stated. "We congratulate Sr. Tiziana on this important mission and assure her of our prayers as she assumes this new responsibility in the service of consecrated life worldwide."
The dicastery, according to the apostolic constitution on the Roman Curia, is called "to promote, foster and regulate the practice of the evangelical counsels, their living out in the approved forms of consecrated life and all that concerns the life and activity of the Societies of Apostolic Life throughout the Latin Church".
According to Vatican statistics, there are about 600,000 professed religious in the Catholic Church. The number of religious priests is about 128,500 and the number of religious brothers is close to 50,000.
Canonist and teacher
Sister Merletti, 65, was born in Pineto, Italy, and earned a degree in civil law before taking her first vows as a member of the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor in 1986. In 1992 she earned her doctorate in canon law from the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome.
From 2004 to 2013, she was Superior General of the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor. At the time of her appointment, she was teaching canon law at the Pontifical University Antonianum in Rome and practicing as an expert in canon law at the UISG.
